Odium and Love
by Lazlo Pizazzlo
Summary: Shortly after Timpani and Blumiere's marriage, another holder of the Dark Prognosticus casts voids across every dimension and the four Heroes disappear. The couple decide the only way to save all worlds is to act themselves to restore peace, but how?
1. I

_Hi again!_

_Whew. School started, and it got to me, so sorry for the VERRRY long silence from me. o.O But in that time I beat Super Paper Mario, so I made a sequel to SPM! YAY!! _

_Cautions:_

_-This is a more serious story than any of my other ones. Don't expect this to be full of randomness and humor that my stories are usually full of. I apologize for any disappointment, but it does have some laughter tucked in there. ;) Hang in there with me..._

_-As for those of you who don't really know the plotline of SPM, I don't think it's a very big issue, but there are some points that might need to be hit. Please let me know if there is any confusion; I'd love to help sort it out. :) _

_**DANGER!! IN ADDITION TO THE LAST CAUTION, SEVERAL, SEVERAL, **__**SEVERAL**__** SPOILERS FOR SUPER PAPER MARIO ARE INCLUDED IN THIS FIC! WHEN I SAY SEVERAL, I MEAN **__**SEVERAL, PEOPLE.**__** Don't say I didn't warn you, guys. If you're one to kill when you see a spoiler, don't read this fic until you're certain you're ready for it. **_

_-The rating may or may not go up in future chapters. And I'm talking going from K+ to T. Nothing terribly serious._

_-Blumiere DOES speak French in here, cuz his name is French. XD;; It's not too much, though; it's like substituting for a few words or so. ;)_

_So, ready to start? I am. Review without flames please! ;)_

_I don't own Nintendo._

* * *

**1**

A young lady ran her hardest over and across hills. She almost couldn't run, she was laughing so hard.

"Timpani!" A voice shouted after her. "Wait up, _mon amour_!"

"Catch me if you can, Blumiere!!" Timpani laughed, looking behind her. But Blumiere was not there, so she stopped. "…Blumiere?" She began to walk the opposite direction, concerned about her husband. A hand grabbed Timpani and pulled her back.

"It was pretty easy, Timpani," Blumiere smiled. Timpani smiled as well, and gave a kiss to Blumiere on the cheek, who blushed, and returned it. They sat down under a tree, letting the gentle breeze blow through to cool them off. "Ah, a lovely day, isn't it?"

"It's an alright day today; better than the other days," Timpani replied, her smile fading slightly. "Is autumn coming soon? Summer is getting so hot here..."

"I hope it'll come. But in the meantime, we should try to enjoy the light."

_Light…_she repeated in her head, remembering only a few months ago that darkness was threatening the entire planet. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Blumiere's shoulder. "Blumiere?"

"Yes, Timpani?"

"…Thank you for stopping the Dark Prognosticus's prophecy. I thought you would lose hope and destroy the worlds anyway, but I knew that there was a part of you that still wanted to save us, too." Timpani sighed.

"You're certainly welcome. I was just hoping that we could see the Heroes again, seeing how you loved the friendship of Mario and the others." Blumiere replied.

"Yes, they were quite the friends to be around. After Francis' attack, I recognized how much I was grateful for them all." Timpani sighed. There was a pause, and Timpani hesitated to say something. "Do…do you think we'll see them again?"

Blumiere shook his head. "There's no way to tell." Seeing his love look away and frown, he instantly hugged and held her close. "But if you would like to see them, I'm sure we can find them somehow." Timpani looked up, her eyes full of doubt.

"But, Blumiere, I don't want to leave you here alone!" She said. "And besides, they can't even find us. How will we know where THEY are?"

"First of all, Timpani, I never meant to sound like I'd send you alone out there in the cold, cruel world; I'll always come with you anywhere," Blumiere assured. "And as for finding them, I'm still unsure, but it's possible."

Suddenly, the earth began to tremble, and Timpani cried out, frightened of what was happening.

"YAAAAGH!" Timpani yelled. Blumiere covered them both with his ivory cape to keep them out of harms way. "Blumiere!! What's going on?!"

"Just stay down, Timpani!!" Blumiere cried.

An odd rumbling noise rang out in the sky, and the earth only shook more. Behind the two of them, a figure summoned his power, aimed it at the tree, and disappeared without a trace.

_Shing…_

_CRACK!!_

Blumiere looked up at it and gasped; the tree was going to collapse right on top of them.

"Timpani, look out!!" He dove for the young lady as a branch hit the ground and shoved her out of the way.

Timpani slid on the ground, scuffing her arms slightly. "Blumiere!! Oh, gosh, are you okay?!" She got up and knelt beside her husband. The branch had just missed Blumiere; he had lucked out with his life.

"I'm alright, Timpani, I'm alright." Blumiere got up and looked at the tree.

"Are you sure you aren't hurt?"

"I'm not hurt, I promise. But I can't say the same for the tree…"

Timpani smiled at his joke, but something caught her eye. There was a violet and black dot in the sky. "Blumiere…" She pointed at the sky. "It's—it's just like before…" Blumiere gasped.

"It is, but the Dark Prognosticus was destroyed, as well as the Chaos Heart…" Blumiere commented. _…Right?!_ "There's no one who could've activated it once more; Nastasia was killed, as well as O'Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio, but I suppose it's still possible for someone to…"

"Blumiere, Dimentio disappeared after we fought him. No one knows where he is, and O'Chunks and Mimi were still loyal to you after we left them. Nastasia is…" She swallowed. "Anyhow, no one could've activated the Prognosticus again; the Prophecy was defeated, the Heroes are set back into their normal lives. We're probably just hallucinating this from the heat…hopefully…"

Blumiere took Timpani's hand and placed it on the branch that had fallen. "I don't think this is a hallucination. Your hand would slip through that if it was; and how could we be hallucinating the same thing?"

"But…but what should we do then?"

"We must find the Heroes again. If this is going to do the same thing as it did last time, we need to hurry. I won't allow this world or any worlds to end now that we're together."

"Then how will we find them?"

Before she could say anything else, Timpani began to sense a strange strength, and it was very nearby. This was familiar in some way, but she couldn't put her finger on it; something that seemed to get stronger with love, something that overcame darkness, something light, affectionate, and comforting…

She gasped. "Blumiere, do you sense that?!"

Blumiere took out something, and showed it to Timpani. It was a red Pure Heart.

"A Pure Heart?!" Timpani exclaimed. "I thought they all faded back to the Ancients' spirits after we fought Dimentio!"

"'As long as love is present, the Pure Hearts live on'…isn't that something like what you said?" Blumiere replied. "I kept one, just in case."

"Could it be that we can find Mario with this?"

"We can try."

Timpani smiled. "Yes, _we_ can."

"Then let's pay a visit to the Heroes, shall we, _mon aime_?"

"I'll be right beside you!!" Timpani hugged Blumiere as they both focused on the Pure Heart, and disappeared.


	2. II

_Hiya all!!_

_WOW! I got some reviews on my last chapter SO fast, it was mind blowing! So thanks to all who reviewed! Cookies for everyone:3_

_I forgot to mention that this story, if you haven't caught on yet, has a lot of TimpaniXBlumiere in it. I'm a fan of the couple...they made me cry at the end of the game. (So hard, in fact, that I had to take off my glasses and wipe my eyes a MILLION times!! XD) _

_Notice how I don't put chapter titles...I don't like to give spoilers for this story away with titles. ;D _

_I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's a longer one, so eat your cookie while you read if you want...;)_

* * *

**2**

Timpani and Blumiere appeared on a hill, and the sky was bright orange with no void present, but Blumiere could sense that it'd come soon. Timpani knelt down and noticed that there was a waterfall and a river below them.

"Where are we?" Timpani asked. "This place is familiar, but…"

"Gloam Valley," Blumiere answered. "I spent so much time here looking for you, just because it reminded me of you." Timpani smiled up at him, but soon frowned after looking back down at the river and surrounding area.

"But where is Mario?" Timpani asked. "He doesn't look like he'd be here right now."

"Perhaps we can backtrack from here; since this world is still in existence, maybe the door in Flipside is still present. From there we can see that wizard, Merlon, I believe." Blumiere proposed. Timpani nodded.

"Merlon can find Mario in a snap, I'm sure," She replied. Blumiere took Timpani's hand and helped her up. "Let's go; I want to stop this as soon as possible."

"Heh, heh, heh. I don't think it'll be that easy for you…" A voice cackled.

"_Qui parle_?! Who speaks?!" Blumiere turned around, holding Timpani close to his side.

"A familiar someone to you, Count Bleck!"

Timpani stepped forward. "His name is Count Blumiere! Count Bleck has been gone and will stay like that!"

"No matter! Come forth, Brobot the Third!" A huge bang sounded out, and out came a huge machine that had a resemblance to the hero, Luigi. The man jumped into the machine and laughed. "Aren't you scared?!"

"It doesn't matter! Leave Timpani be!" Blumiere shouted, pulling back Timpani to his side and holding her tightly.

"…So you're not scared?"

"…What?" Blumiere asked.

"You're not scared? I thought Brobot the Third would've scared the cape off of you!"

"…" Blumiere and Timpani exchanged looks as an awkward silence surrounded everyone.

"FINE! Get ready to eat missiles, Bleck and Tippi!" With that comment, he shot missiles at them both, but Blumiere shoved Timpani out of the way, and quickly dodged it himself.

"Timpani, you need to leave! It's way too dangerous for you here."

"Not without you, Blumiere!" Timpani said. "You said you wouldn't make me leave by myself! And I won't allow it!"

"TIMPANI! Go! I'll be fine!!" Blumiere shouted.

"No! I won't leave you!!"

"If you won't, then I'll make you!" Blumiere ran over to his wife, kissed her, and then held her hand. "Timpani, I'm sorry, but I want to keep you safe!" Blumiere pushed her, and Timpani stumbled off the hill, and began to fall to the river below.

"BLUMIERE!!" Timpani cried out. As she impacted with the cold water, she blacked out.

"Nngh…Where am I?" Timpani whispered. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a room painted a very soft pink. She felt around her, and there were sheets covering her body. Timpani opened her eyes all the way and rubbed them.

"Blumiere…?" She rolled over onto her left side to see if he was at her side, but he wasn't. "Blumiere? Wh-where are you?!"

"Miss? Are you alright?" A soft voice asked. She turned to see it was Princess Peach.

"Peach! Oh, thank goodness! We have to go look for Blumiere; he pushed me off the cliff and into the river, and he's still there!" Timpani started to get out of the bed, but Peach stopped her and put her back in bed.

"Miss, please, rest! You were unconscious when I found you, so you—"

"Peach, please! It's me! Timpani! Tippi! That Pixl that helped you around on your last journey!"

"Timpani, then, you should rest; you looked very tired when we put you here. Tea's almost ready; just wait a while longer, and you can have something to drink. I'll be right back." Peach went out the door, leaving Timpani there. But she turned and went back over to Timpani.

"Oh, and I found this in your dress," Peach handed Timpani a dark crimson rose, with the thorns cut off. "I'll come back with a vase, so don't worry. I'll be back in a moment!" Peach called out the door. She shut it, leaving Timpani there, only to look at the rose.

She knew why there was a rose in her dress, though. It was a symbol from Blumiere to tell her that he loved her dearly, and he'd always be with her, even when his game ended. It also meant that they'd see each other very soon; giving Timpani's hopes a boost.

She sniffed the rose, and it reminded her of Blumiere so much, she couldn't bear it any longer. She gripped the rose in her hand.

"Peach…doesn't remember me?" Timpani whispered to herself, easing her grip. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I need to get to Blumiere now; he could be in trouble!" She got out of the bed and quietly went over to a window and lifted it open. It was dark out; the moon was shining brightly, giving Timpani a light source to see.

However, she noticed that she wasn't in her dress; she was in a pink nightgown that was trailing on the ground.

"I'm shorter than I thought…Ugh! Where's my dress?!" She asked. Timpani rushed to the bathroom and began to search, eventually finding it on the shower curtain rod. She grabbed it, and went back to trying to climb out of the room.

"It's way too high to jump…" She whispered. Timpani looked behind her, and an idea clicked in her mind. The sheets could be tied together as a rope and she could climb out of the castle. Timpani yanked the sheets from the bed, tied them together in a knot, and lowered it down the window.

Using a small table to hold down the sheet inside, Timpani threw her dress over her shoulder, put the stem of the rose in her mouth, and cautiously began to climb out of the window. She held onto the sheet as she lowered herself by walking backwards on the side of the castle.

So far, so good. Timpani was succeeding thus far; she was already halfway down the castle side. However, her foot slipped and she stumbled a little bit, but it was enough to catch her off balance. She accidentally let go of the sheet, and she began to fall.

"Kyaaah!" She snapped her eyes shut, scared of what could happen to her. All she wanted was Blumiere right then; she wanted to feel him next to her, to see his affection for her…

Timpani braced for impact…

But she felt nothing happen.

Timpani opened her eyes and looked around. She was on the ground, but something had protected her from the fall. She felt around her, and felt something in her dress. Timpani pulled it out, and saw that it was the Pure Heart. The red Pure Heart had guarded her from injury.

"I don't understand; Blumiere had the Pure Heart, didn't he?" Timpani asked.

"_If you won't, then I'll make you!" Blumiere ran over to his wife, kissed her, and then held her hand. "Timpani, I'm sorry, but I want to keep you safe!" Blumiere pushed her, and Timpani stumbled off the hill, and began to fall to the river below. _

It suddenly occurred to Timpani what had happened. After Blumiere had kissed her, he gave her the Pure Heart when he held her hand, but she couldn't and didn't notice it. When he said he wanted to keep her safe, it wasn't only about getting her out of the fight, it was about giving her the Pure Heart to protect her. He was sacrificing his safety for hers.

And he must have slipped the rose in her pocket when he gave her a kiss as well. It was a passionate symbol that he still would love her, no matter what.

Tears welled up in her eyes as Timpani gazed at the Pure Heart and the rose. It was glowing red, just as before, and it only made her want Blumiere more than ever.

"B-Blumiere, please…I hope you're still alive…" She began to cry softly as she sat down, hugging the Pure Heart and the rose.


	3. III

_Hoorah!! I've been getting reviews on this story!! I'd like to thank the following for their kind reviews:_

_**Staple Sauce**_

_**The Great Chicken Miasma**_

_**Marno ar Squall**_

_I absolutely appreciate their reviews; it means a lot to me to know that they took the time out of their (I'm sure) busy lives to review my modest story. THANKS!! _

_Sorry for the slight wait on the chapter; my life has been busy with play auditions and callbacks, but the good news is that I made it, and hopefully I'll be able to find some time to put these up. _

_I felt like Blumiere's character was extremely difficult in this chapter, so let me say right now that I'm sorry if Blumiere is a little out of character...but I can assure you that he's not a valley girl or anything. ;) -is shot- Meh, anyhow..._

_I hope you do enjoy this chapter; I worked hard on it:) _

* * *

**3**

"Ti-Timpani…" Blumiere muttered. He opened his eyes, only to see a black, stone room. "Timpani, are you here?" No response.

"Well I'll be a Goomba's uncle!" A rough voice laughed. "Ol' Blecky is still alive after all!"

Blumiere turned and saw Bowser at the door. "…King Bowser?"

"The one and only!" Bowser smirked. "Hey, I gotta say, everyone thought you and Tippi were dead, and I forgot to thank you for marrying Peach and I!"

"That wasn't a—"

"Problem? Nah, of course it wasn't for you!!"

"Where's—"

"Peach? Oh, she left. She said she'd be right back, but it's been a while. Probably getting me a wedding present and can't decide what to get me!"

"Gah! You have no—"

"Wife? Have you gone bonkers? I just said—"

"THAT WASN'T A WEDDING, WHERE'S TIMPANI, AND YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR PEOPLE TALKING!!" Blumiere shouted finally, fuming.

"Timpani? Ha, I don't know Timpani, but if you ever meet a girl named Timpani, you should really get to know her, Bleck. Girls will probably dig the cape and hat." Bowser interrupted. Blumiere sighed with annoyance. The Prophecy he had read previously in the Dark Prognosticus said an 'evil king', not a gullible one.

Still, he was disappointed with Bowser's answer. He had never heard of Timpani, even though he had spent more time with the Pixl form of her; Tippi. Since Blumiere had looked the same way as he did when he was Bleck, he could still be recognized, though.

"Listen, I'm not Bleck anymore, I'm Blumiere, and Tippi is Timpani. We're married, and I must find her. We were separated…" Blumiere trailed off.

"Wow, Bleck, you're pretty messed up! You married a Pixl?"

"NO!! TIPPI TURNED INTO A HUMAN, AND SHE'S NOW TIMPANI!! MY NAME IS BLUMIERE, FOR THE SECOND TIME!!" Blumiere yelled. He sighed. "King Bowser, please, I'm begging you. I need your help finding Timpani. She means a whole lot to me."

Suddenly, someone came on the intercom in the room.

"Err…Your Royal Ferociousness?" A shaky voice nervously asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" Bowser growled.

"A Koopa in the basement is having trouble getting m-motivated…"

"I'll be there in just a second!" Bowser said. He turned to Blumiere. "Hey, you get some rest, okay? My minions found you in the nearby river, completely K.O.-ed, so be sure to get some sleep. I'll be back up with some stuff to eat in about ten minutes, okay?" Bowser slammed the door, and Blumiere heard the lock click.

"Sure, I'll be back in ten minutes, but you won't live THAT long..." Bowser smirked, going down the stairs.

"Good, the door's locked…" Blumiere said sarcastically. "I need to get to Timpani. I hope I didn't push her that hard off that hill; she was yelling kind of loud…" He looked around for a way to get out, and found a window, which was a hole with metal bars on it. He attempted to shake the bars loose, but had no luck.

This was no surprise to Blumiere, though; he had been here before to take Bowser and his minions hostage, so he knew most of the interior of the castle. Blumiere went over to the door and felt around it, searching for cracks. There was one at the bottom, to his luck. He took his staff, pried the sapphire on top of the staff under the door, and pulled it in an upward motion. It seemed to loosen the door slightly, so it was working somehow, but it wasn't enough to shove open. So, he pulled his staff from under the door in an upward motion once more, and then found that it still wouldn't be enough to shove open.

"This isn't working…" Blumiere frowned. Taking his staff, he pointed it at the door and shot a beam of dark energy at it, which blew it open without a hassle. Blumiere moved out of the room. "…That works."

Blumiere jumped from the flight of stairs to the floor, and began to search for an opening where he could find a place to escape completely. Concerned about Timpani, Blumiere began to rush to find a way out of the dark castle. Every window was barred with the same black metal, and it was irritating to see that occurring over and over and over again.

He went down a huge flight of stairs and approached two large doors. Front doors, Blumiere thought. He was so close to getting out of there…

"Hey! Where are YOU going?!"

Blumiere turned to see a Hammer Bro. standing there, hammer at the ready. "Don't make me hurt you! Get back to your room! King Bowser told you to stay there!"

Blumiere held out his staff at the Hammer Bro., ready to fire as well. "Listen, I don't want to fight you…right now, at least; I just need to get to a young lady named Timpani. She—"

"I don't care WHO you need to get to! You need to get to your room before I start chucking hammers at ya!!"

Blumiere scowled. "Fine, but you asked for it…" He shot a ray of red energy at the Hammer Bro. by accident.

"YAAAACK!" The Hammer Bro. cried. "…HAIL BLECK!!"

"Not what I had in mind, but at least you'll be busy with something for a while…" Blumiere frowned at the cry of the Hammer Bro.; he meant to keep him occupied by creating a miniature void and spinning him around a few times to make him dizzy, at least, but he was so busy, he couldn't concentrate fully.

"WHAT IS YOUR BIDDING, COUNT BLECK??" The Hammer Bro. shouted.

"It's Blumiere, for the THIRD time!" Blumiere scowled. "And I don't need your help, you idiotic minion!!" He yanked open the large door and slammed it shut, furious at how idiotic Koopas truly were. "Now to find dear Timpani…"


	4. IV

__

It's another chapter…:D So soon? YES!

_I'm getting excited with this story; it's getting more and more reviews, and I love them all to death! Thanks to all who reviewed and even added their story to favorites and are watching this story! Cookies for you:)_

_I have gotten a review that suggested for the chapters to be longer, and I promise, they will be in the future. This one isn't as long as I want it to be, but the next one is very long, I can assure you! ;) So be prepared for that. _

_**Dimention**__ has picked up on something...perhaps this chapter will explain something...:o _

_-I have made an edit on the last chapter; it's a small one, but it's important, so be sure to look back for it...-_

_Enjoy this one!_****

* * *

**4**

Over at the Mushroom Kingdom, it would soon fall into massive chaos. VERY massive.

Peach opened the door to the room Timpani escaped from, holding a platter with a warm cup of tea and a slice of cake for Timpani to eat. However, upon seeing the sheet hang out the window, the window wide open, the bed empty as can be, and a strong, cool breeze blowing through the curtains, Peach dropped the tray.

"Miss Timpani?! Where are you?!" Peach ran over to the window and gasped as she saw no trace of the young lady anywhere, except the nightgown on the grass. "Timpani!!" Peach ran out of the room, deeply "concerned" of Timpani's safety.

"TIMPANI IS GONE!! EVERYONE STOP WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!!" Peach yelled. "Search the corridors, the closets, under the beds, EVERYWHERE!"

The Toadstools all went into a scramble, and yells of Timpani's name were echoed throughout the halls of Toadstool Castle. The entire palace plummeted into stress, anxiety, and worry about Timpani they knew so little about…

Peach turned around and scowled. "Even IF she escaped, we'll find her, and I'll be sure to bring her to _him_…" She went down the stairs and prepared to start searching as hard as she could. "Has anyone found her yet?!"

* * *

But Timpani was safe as could be. With her dress on, and carrying the Pure Heart inside of it, she was completely determined to find her husband. Her chest was full of pain from running so fast, it almost felt like it was on fire. She didn't want Peach to feel like she needed to chase after her; she didn't need help, or that's what she thought.

Timpani found herself on the outskirts of a dark, haunting forest. She would've never suspected that the Mushroom Kingdom was near such a lifeless place. However, when she looked behind her shoulder, the castle wasn't there for some reason. She blinked, absolutely dumbfounded. Timpani could've sworn that she was almost a mile away from the castle as she was running, but it wasn't there any longer. The cold wind made her fear even harder to bear, so she folded her arms over her chest to keep warm, and entered the mysterious forest, feeling like there was nothing else to do.

"Blumiere, are you here?" Timpani cried. There was no response. "Blumiere, please! Where are you?!"

The Pure Heart, Timpani felt, was growing stronger, and started feeling a little warm. Timpani paid no attention to this; she was too concentrated on finding her love. She started going into a brisk walk, feeling haunted by the creaking of the trees as the wind blew in.

_There's our autumn weather, Blumiere. I need to get somewhere warm soon…_Timpani thought. The Pure Heart grew warmer.

"What's the Pure Heart doing? It's never acted like this before…" Timpani whispered to herself, taking the Heart out and holding it. It felt so warm in her cold hands, almost like Blumiere was holding them tightly. _Perhaps it's sensing how much I want to find Blumiere. It does react to love…I wonder…_

"I need to find Count Blumiere Fidéle; my husband," Timpani said loudly and clearly to the crimson Pure Heart. "Please, can you take me to where he is?" She felt an energy form around her, and she suddenly disappeared.

* * *

Timpani landed on her stomach, face down on the ground. She sat up and looked around to get some familiarity with her surroundings. Black walls, black doors, black floors, black windows with bars on them. Everything had a sense of darkness to it, making Timpani feel quite uncomfortable. The feeling of the room was cold, like there was no life present whatsoever, or love, for that matter. She couldn't quite recognize where she was, but Timpani knew that she had been here before.

"Is this…Bowser's castle?" Timpani asked herself. She glanced down at the rose and gasped. The bright red rose that was given to her was now a withered, black, dead flower. She frowned, and looked at the Pure Heart. It was close to being a black color.

"What happened to them?" She whispered, holding both in each hand. "They're both dead…or close to it, at least…" Timpani went back to looking around the mysterious castle she was in. "This makes no sense. Why would Blumiere be here?"

But after looking out the barred window and looking at the sky, she knew exactly where she was located, and it was not Bowser's castle. It was by far worse than Bowser's castle could ever be for Timpani. The sky was filled with black and purple, lightning crashing every once in a while.

"O-oh no…" She stuttered. "B-Blumiere would…he'd never be…" Timpani slid down the wall, frightened and extremely tense about her surroundings. She hugged her knees and tried not to start crying again. "He told me…Blumiere told me he changed after we were married…No!! Blumiere! He—he's not here! He can't be here!! The Pure Heart made a mistake!! Blumiere isn't here! HE'S NOT!! He's Blumiere now, and he'll always be that way…Count Bleck is no more, right…? Why am I here, then?! Castle Bleck isn't supposed to be here anymore!!"

Timpani snapped her eyes shut, trying not to believe that she was inside Castle Bleck. "Blumiere…my love, Blumiere…why…" Timpani felt something warm in her arms, and she recognized it to be the Pure Heart, growing stronger.

"JUST STOP! I hate this thing!" She threw the Pure Heart across the room, covered her eyes, and began to cry. "The Pure Heart never helps me!! It brings me despair and I can't EVER think straight again! I let this thing called 'love' control my entire life, and I can't ever live the life I was supposed to live!! Blumiere…betrayed me! He married me, he loved me, and he turned into Count Bleck again!! Why?!"

_Thud..._

Timpani looked up, eyes full of hot tears, to see what had been dropped. A book was on the floor, almost inviting Timpani over to come have a look at its pages. Timpani did just that; she slowly got up and cautiously opened the book.

"'The Dark Prognosticus'," Timpani read. She wiped her eyes to get a clearer read of it. "'First owner: Lord Zamika III, 1843-1902…'" She skipped over some of the previous owners of the book, and finally got to the last two. "'…Count Blumiere I, 1971- , Lord Dimentio I, 1980- '"

Timpani gasped at the last entry, and read it again. _Lord Dimentio I. _

"Dimentio!! So he's still out there and behind this!!" Timpani fumed. She looked at the Pure Heart she threw. "I bet this is what it was trying to tell me, instead of Blumiere is Bleck. He would never…" She got up, book under her shoulder, and held the Heart again.

"If Blumiere isn't here, then where is he?? I must see him right this minute!!" Timpani told the Pure Heart. It glowed, and she disappeared once more, hoping to find Blumiere at the right place this time.


	5. V

_WOW! Hi everyone!_

_I'm getting faves, reviews, subscriptions/watches, and hits on this story! I never knew it'd be such a semi-popular story...;) _

_I must thank each and every one of my reviewers, and some of them anonymous, might I mention:_

_**pingpongtitan07**_

_**Dimention**_

_**C. Maisma (The Great Chicken Maisma)**_

_**and more that I can't remember!**_

_I can't thank you all enough; you've been wonderful reviewers! You all know how to critique me without saying that it sucked or something, and you give me the proper encouragement every author wants/needs. XD Anyhow..._

_The next few posts might be a little slow; I'm working on the future chapters, and I'm almost done with 6, and I like to be ready for my posting times. So wish me luck on that...not that you need to or anything...;)_

_Some have picked up on things that I cannot say (AKA Spoilers for this story), or I'll get toasted by Bowser himself. Oh dear. _

_**Dimention: **__congrats! This is the longer chapter I'm sure you've been hoping for. :D Good for you! XD _

_ENJOY:)_

* * *

**5**

Blumiere was crossing the drawbridge of Bowser's castle, holding his hat on his head so it wouldn't blow off from the wind gusting in.

"Timpani better be alright, because I don't want to cross a half-mile long drawbridge for nothing…" Blumiere whispered to himself. He suddenly crashed into something, but when he looked back, nothing was there. "What is—ACK! WAIT!!" Blumiere vanished suddenly, unwillingly, of course.

He materialized back in somewhere bright and vibrant; and it hurt his eyes after being in a dark castle for a long time. There was a tall white tower next to him, several buildings below him, and few people walking around beneath as well. But there was something wrong with the ground…

There was no ground! Blumiere looked down and began to wave his arms in the air, panicking and a little frightened of what was to come to him.

"Agh!!" Blumiere shouted as he fell from the sky, plummeting to the ground under him. He impacted, face down, and he groaned a little, snapping his eyes shut, and making fists with both hands, signaling pain throughout him.

"Oh, geez, mister! Are you okay?!" A small voice cried.

Blumiere slowly got up into a sitting position and cleared his throat, rubbing his head. "Ugh…yes, I think…" He responded. The person who spoke, who was a small child, gasped.

"Oh my gosh! You look like that bad guy who almost made Flipside go away forever and ever!" The child shrieked.

"No, I might look like him because I once was—"

"YEEEK! I'M GETTING MR. MERLON!!" The child ran off, completely overwhelmed, leaving Blumiere sitting there, completely…well, confused.

"Merlon is…that wizard that transformed Timpani into Tippi!" Blumiere realized. "Timpani said he could find Mario and the others…" Blumiere was about to get up, but the child came back with Merlon in front of him.

"See?! He's back! He really is!!"

"Count…Bleck?"

"No, it's Blumiere now, and I'm here to find Timpani, Merlon. You need to help me; we were separated, and…" Blumiere explained.

"Blumiere…why does that name seem familiar…?" Merlon closed his eyes and thought.

"Timpani might have told you the name a few months back, Merlon, but you must—"

"You mean Tippi? So she is alive after all? Where is she?!"

"Merlon, I just told you, she and I were separated! It was my entire fault, but nonetheless, I must find her! Haven't you seen the void in the sky?" Blumiere said.

"A void?" Merlon asked. "What void?" Blumiere was shocked.

"'What void'?! Are you insane?! Have you seen the sky?!" Blumiere repeated as he pointed to the clear sky, and Merlon looked up.

"Lad, there is nothing there…" Merlon trailed off. Blumiere looked up and frowned; there was indeed nothing in the sky. It was clear as ever, no void in sight.

"But…Timpani and I saw it…" Blumiere stammered, extremely confused. _This is ridiculous! The void we saw…it was absolutely real…Timpani and I were almost killed by something occurring from it! _Blumiere thought.

"Why don't we come to my house for a bit, Blumiere? Perhaps you can explain everything while we're there." Merlon invited, walking off. Blumiere started after him, but came to a halt when he saw the kid who had been extremely frightened of him.

"Can you please—"

"YEEEEK!!" The child ran off, in much of a tizzy, and poor Blumiere couldn't even start to think of what to say or do, except keep walking on toward Merlon's house.

* * *

Blumiere had gone on for a few minutes about everything that happened; the void, Timpani's fall, and Bowser's castle. Merlon had listened patiently to him as he sat in his chair, nodding his head every once in a while. Blumiere sighed at the end of his explanation.

"…That's what happened, Merlon. I need to find her; she could be in deep trouble." Blumiere frowned. Merlon sighed, absorbing the information that he had just heard.

"As for the void, it may not have appeared yet here in Flipside, but my guess is that it will very soon." Merlon said. He changed the subject as he saw Blumiere wince at the thought. "But you said that you pushed Timpani in Gloam Valley?" Merlon got up and began to look on his bookshelf.

"That's correct," Blumiere answered.

"Hmm…" Merlon looked through old, dusty books, and finally pulled one out and dropped it on the table, dust flying everywhere. Blumiere started to cough.

"What—cough—is—cough—this book,—cough—Merlon?" Blumiere swatted the dust away from him.

"Sorry, Blumiere, I haven't read these books in such a long time," Merlon gave a nervous smile as Blumiere came over to his side to see the content of the book. "This is a book about the different worlds through the doors on Flipside Tower."

"So the doors are still there?" Blumiere asked.

"Yes, they are—hold on a moment, Blumiere, how did you know about the doors connecting the worlds with Flipside?"

"How else could the Heroes get anywhere? Believe me, Merlon, I had to read all this in the Dark Prognosticus." Blumiere answered. Merlon shrugged.

"I just need to find the Gloam Valley section, and we can probably track Timpani from where she fell into the river," Merlon flipped through the worn out, old pages of the thick book. There was a few seconds of silence as Merlon went through the sections of the World Book.

Now five minutes had passed, and Merlon grew confused. He had found the right section, but something had suddenly skipped a page. He went back and forth between the page before, and the page after. Blumiere crossed his arms after watching him do this many times.

"Merlon, please, it shouldn't take this long." Blumiere scowled. "What's the matter, anyway? You've been looking through those same pages for five minutes." Merlon looked up at the bookshelf, and back down at the book on the table.

"Dear me, what happened to it?" Merlon asked, deeply concerned. Blumiere stepped towards the book and inspected it closely.

"What's wrong with it?"

"The page that has the map of Gloam Valley; it's gone," Merlon answered. "There was a perfect bird's-eye view of the entire Valley, and it's gone!" Blumiere felt between the two pages against the crease. There was a small strip still intact with the spine, but it was rough on the edges.

"The page has been torn out. Someone must have stolen it to tear it out." Blumiere frowned. "Do you remember if anyone had broken into your house?"

"I don't remember a thing, Blumiere. I don't believe anyone came to my house; I always lock the door when I leave." Merlon explained. There was a sudden creak towards the entrance of Merlon's house, but Blumiere and Merlon didn't notice it.

"Then how could anyone—" Blumiere started.

"B-Blumiere?! Are you…are you okay?!" A soft voice exclaimed. Blumiere turned around and gasped. There was a young lady at the door entrance with golden short hair and a white dress. She appeared to be only slightly wet with water.

"Timpani? Is that you?" Blumiere asked, hesitating slightly. The young lady stepped in closer, smiling.

"Blumiere! It is you after all!!" She laughed. "I was so worried! I mean, I wasn't sure WHAT to think when you pushed me off that dumb cliff! But golly, thank goodness you're alright!"

_Timpani hasn't hugged me like she'd usually do... _Blumiere thought. _And what's with the 'golly'??_

"Heh, heh..." Timpani smirked. Merlon and Blumiere blinked, growing perplexed at Timpani.

"Timpani, are you feeling well?" Merlon questioned. Timpani was taken aback at this.

"Of course I'm feeling alright, Merlon!" Timpani smirked. "I'm just so excited to see you both here at the same time! That saves me a trip!!"

"BLUMIERE!! Stop! Don't listen to—" The same voice cried out, except outside. Timpani scowled and snapped her fingers. There was a thud noise, and silence filled the room as muffled yelps came from outside the house. Timpani gave a nervous smile to the shocked two.

"Now, what were we saying?" She blushed. Blumiere narrowed his eyes at the supposed fake Timpani.

"Who are you and what have you done to Timpani?!" Blumiere pressed. He was done being cautious; Timpani was acting very odd, and it began to irritate him.

"Wow, count! I didn't think you'd figure me out!!" Timpani smiled evilly, but in a puff of magenta smoke, she was suddenly a small girl who had green skin and pigtails. "Mimimimimimimimimimimimi!! It looks like you're alright now, count, but not for long!!"

"Mimi, what are you doing here—and what do you mean by—" Blumiere asked. Mimi's head spun around, and her arms and legs grew longer and she stood up on all four. She cackled evilly as she prepared to attack Merlon and Blumiere.

"Mimimimimimimimimimimimi!! Count Bleck, get ready to fight for your life; the King of Magic commands it!!" Mimi smirked. Red gems shot out from the floor, and they were approaching Blumiere and Merlon quickly.

"Gah! Move out of the way, lad!!" Merlon grabbed Blumiere's cape and pulled him out of the path of rubees that were headed towards him.

"Merlon, careful with my cape!" Blumiere growled. "But seriously, you need to go help Timpani outside, Merlon. I can hold off Mimi for a while; she was my minion during the prophecy, and she couldn't be all that bad." A rubee hit Blumiere's head, and he scowled, snapping his eyes shut. "Aack! Never mind! But still, I can handle her for just a few moments; just go get Timpani and get her safe!!"

"Blumiere—" Merlon started.

"Go get her, Merlon!! I won't say it again…you have to make sure she's okay," Blumiere demanded. Before Merlon could do anything, however, Mimi yanked Merlon away from Blumiere's side and threw him out the door. "Alright, Mimi, you're usually so obedient to me, but that doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you…" _And who is this 'King of Magic'?!_

* * *

The door slammed shut behind Merlon as he landed on the ground. He looked over to his left, where he saw Timpani tied up and tape over her mouth. She was trying to move around and also trying to call out, but she wasn't in much luck.

"Timpani! Oh, it's really you!" Merlon said, scrambling to get himself up. He went over to Timpani's side and ripped the tape off her mouth.

"OW!!" Timpani cried, panting. "Thanks, Merlon. It's good to see you again, but where's Blumiere and Mimi?"

"Inside; and I'm not too certain that Blumiere can hold Mimi off for long like he said that he could. Something is strange about her; she's attacking Blumiere, her past master and said something about a King of Magic…" Timpani frowned.

"Then we have to help Blumiere, whether he likes it or not!!" Timpani said, getting up and walking to the door. She tugged on it. "No! It's locked!!" Timpani began to pound her fists on the wooden door, desperate to give reassurance to her husband. "Blumiere! Blumiere! Hang on!! We'll get you out soon!!"


	6. VI

_How is everyone?_

_Me? Neh. My throat hurts, and it's getting worse and worse. Yuck. Good thing there aren't such things as cyber-germs; I think I'm getting a cold. :O _

_But that won't hurt any chances of chapter updates!! XD Not to worry; I just need some rest and I'll be okay...hopefully. ;) _

_GAH! I love my reviews, and it says I have 13, but it feels like more than that...;D Ah well; I'm getting noticed!! HOORAH! _

_Enjoy this chapter, and in case if anyone's forgotten, I don't own Nintendo. /_

_(PS-A whole lot of secrets will most likely be revealed next chapter or so. Be prepared, and start thinking what I'm getting at...)_

* * *

**6**

Blumiere stood his ground, gripping his staff with all his might. He wasn't going to allow Mimi to rip his life away now that Timpani was with him finally, plus he was angry that Mimi had tricked them both by shape-shifting into Timpani. He should've known better, and he was about to redeem himself.

"Alright, Mimi, you want a fight? I'll sure give you one, and I'll try to make it your last!" Blumiere scowled.

"All talk and no fighting makes Bleck a dead guy! Stop talking so much and get on with it!" Mimi growled. Blumiere took his staff in hand, but Mimi threw a rubee and knocked it out of his hands. The staff landed on the floor towards the door, but when Blumiere headed for it, Mimi stepped in front of it.

"Mimimimimimimi! I don't think so, Bleck!!" Mimi cackled.

* * *

"Merlon, what should we do?! We can't just leave him in there!" Timpani asked frantically. Merlon looked around, just as alarmed as Timpani, and found a window a few feet above Timpani's head. If they could break the window, Timpani could be lifted and could get inside to help Blumiere fight off Mimi.

"The window, Timpani!" Merlon exclaimed. Timpani looked above her.

"I don't know if I can reach it, though," Timpani said. "And besides that, how could we get in that window?"

"By breaking it! I'll worry about the cost of damage later, Timpani, but you need to get in there quickly." Merlon said, grabbing a nearby rock and handing it to Timpani. "Get on my shoulders, and hurry!"

Timpani hesitated, but did as she was told and got on Merlon's shoulders. She found that she could reach the window now, and with one swift movement, she broke the window with the rock. The glass fell to the ground on the inside of Merlon's home, leaving slightly jagged remains around the frame of the window.

"I can get in, Merlon," Timpani alerted. "But it's sharp around the edges…!"

"Just be careful, Timpani!" Merlon replied. He felt the weight on his shoulders lift dramatically, and Merlon stepped out of the way, prepared to catch Timpani if she fell.

* * *

She was trying to be as cautious as possible when going through the broken window. It was frightening to see spikes of glass sticking out at her, but she managed to get her stomach past the wall without harm. Timpani began to fall into Merlon's home, and she was safe, for now.

Merlon, however, began to look for another way in, feeling like he needed to help greatly with this matter.

"YEEP!" Timpani shrieked as she hit the floor. She coughed as dust flew in the air, but when she looked up, there was something different about the room; it was empty, except for a wall of bookshelves, a sofa, and a bed. Timpani got up, brushing the dust off of her ivory dress.

"I guess Merlon did some remodeling when I was gone," Timpani shrugged. She heard a crash, and soon after, a laugh that she recognized to be as Mimi. "Blumiere!" She ran into the next room, eyes shut, afraid of what happened to Blumiere, but she ran into someone and they were knocked down to the floor. Timpani rubbed her head.

"Gosh, I'm sorry…" Timpani opened her eyes and saw the love of her life, Blumiere, on the floor, rubbing his head as well. "BLUMIERE!!" Timpani blushed, and hugged her husband hard. "Thank goodness you're okay!!"

"Timpani! Nice to see you again, love," Blumiere smiled, returning the hug. "Mimi disappeared, and I don't know where she is, but she'll be back soon, I believe." Timpani frowned.

"So it is just like last time…" Timpani muttered, remembering Mimi in Merlee's mansion and in Castle Bleck.

"What?"

"Well…nothing, never mind." Timpani hesitated. Blumiere frowned.

"Where's Merlon?" He asked, holding Timpani's hand.

"Outside; I don't know what he's doing now, but I hope he's still okay—"

"Mimimimimimimimimimi!!"

"Shoot." Blumiere scowled. Timpani huddled next to Blumiere, who was wanting at least a little bit of protection from him. As Mimi prepared to stomp on the couple, Blumiere held Timpani tight. "Hang on, Timpani!!"

They both teleported out of the main room, and back into where Timpani had broken the window.

"Of all the times to remodel, it had to be recently," Blumiere scoffed. "We should go, Timpani, it's too dangerous for either of us to be here." Timpani looked around, seeing everything that Merlon owned; books, potions, and the Light Prognosticus. She sighed and held Blumiere's hand tightly as he tried to get up.

"This is where I came in, Blumiere, but I really don't think we should leave yet; this is Merlon's only home. We can't let Mimi destroy it! The Light Prognosticus is even here, Blumiere, it's our one shot to win these worlds back," Timpani protested. She looked up at Blumiere. "It's just like when Dimentio was trying to continue destroying all worlds and taking away our relationship and love forever. Please, Blumiere, we have to get Mimi away from here."

Blumiere gave a loving smile. "Of course, Timpani," He replied. "I don't know how, though; I mean, without getting hurt or almost tearing Merlon's house apart, there's nothing we can really do about it."

"Then perhaps we should try our best to do it anyway—"

"You two keep hiding and running, and it's getting SOOO frustrating!!" Mimi screamed, suddenly standing halfway in the main room and the room they were in. Blumiere stood in front of Timpani, guarding her from any possible danger.

"What do you want with us, and why are you here, Mimi?!" Blumiere demanded. At this, Mimi grinned.

"Golly, count, you've gotten sloppy lately; why do you THINK I'm here?!"

"That's just it; we don't know!" Timpani answered. There was a slight pause.

"Wait…you want the—" Blumiere started, remembering what Timpani had said.

"_This is where I came in, Blumiere, but I really don't think we should leave yet; this is Merlon's only home. We can't let Mimi destroy it! The Light Prognosticus is even here, Blumiere, it's our one shot to win these worlds back,"_

"Light Prognosticus, duh!" Mimi finished, approaching the couple slowly. "But if you tell me where it is, then I can let you two walk away with a warning this time."

"We'll never let you get your spider legs on the Light Prognosticus! It's ours, and you will never have it!" Timpani snapped at the green spider.

"Then I'll have to squish you to teach you two a lesson!!" Mimi growled. She took a giant leap towards Blumiere and Timpani, who were now ready to fight anything that came their way. "Mimimimimimimimimimimi!!"

At this, rubees fell from the ceiling, and Blumiere hid Timpani and himself under his cape, keeping them from any damage whatsoever. Just as they looked up to see if the coast was clear, Mimi attached four of her legs to the ceiling and the other four to the floor, grew the red rubees out from her head, and began spinning toward them vigorously. Blumiere and Timpani ducked again.

"It's no use; she's too fast for us! Just as we feel safe to come out, then she comes rampaging for attack!" Timpani yelped. Blumiere spotted a nearby rubee and scowled.

"I guess we'll have to fight fire with fire, or in this case, rubees with rubees," Blumiere muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I just have to reach over and get that rubee sitting there, throw it at Mimi, and it might get her dazed a little. From there, we can get the rest of the rubees across the room and get her unconscious, at least," Blumiere explained. "Then we can get her out of here…"

Blumiere began to reach for the rubee, but he was suddenly knocked over by Mimi, splitting Blumiere and Timpani apart. Blumiere landed on his stomach as Timpani landed on her back.

"No you don't, count!" Mimi laughed. As Blumiere tried to get up, Mimi stepped on his back, forcing him down to the ground. "Say bye-bye, Bleck!" Mimi cackled as she gathered rubees directly above Blumiere.

"Blumiere!" Timpani gasped. She remembered his plan involving the rubees, and she began to search frantically for at least one.

Mimi, however, caught Timpani in the act of trying to find something to throw. "You CHEATER!!" Rubees, Timpani noticed, appeared above her head, and were steadily falling from the top of the room.

"Timpani!!" Blumiere yelled, snapping his eyes shut as he heard the crash of the gems on the floor.

"Now for you, count!!" Mimi laughed.


	7. VII

_A semi-early update! HOORAY! _

_This'll probably answer many of your questions. I hope. It's all mystery and solving from here. :D Enjoy!!_

_PS-Sorry for the abrupt ending on this one. :( I couldn't think of how else to end it, but I do have 8 done, so I'll start on 9 and I'll be prepared for your reviews:)_

* * *

**7**

Blumiere braced for pain to come to him, as well as death as the rubees hung above his head. _Timpani, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you…_

"HEY, YOU UGLY SPIDER!! GET AWAY FROM BLUMIERE!!" A rubee flew through the air, and it hit Mimi on the head, who instantly felt dizzy and a little dazed. Another one hit Mimi, then another, and another. "I SAID, GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"

Blumiere looked over where the shouts were coming from, and he grew ecstatic; it was Timpani throwing the rubees at Mimi. She had followed through with Blumiere's plan; she had put all her trust, even her safety in him.

"Urrk…" Mimi groaned as more rubees smacked her head. Blumiere felt the weight of Mimi's leg on his back lighten with each toss, and finally, he felt nothing at all. In a puff of dark pink smoke, the green spider turned into a girl with green pigtails and skin. She fell over onto the floor, and the rubees disappeared. Timpani sighed, letting her rage and fear leave her side.

"Blumiere…are you okay?" Timpani panted, sinking to her knees.

"I'm fine, but you—"

"I saved you. Of course," Timpani smiled as she finished his thought. "It was the least I could do, Blumiere, especially after you saved _me_." Blumiere went over to Timpani's side and put his hand on her waist.

"I can't thank you enough,"

"You don't have to. We're even now," Timpani laughed. She rested her head against his chest, but something felt odd to her. Some kind of power was sticking out to her, and it was in the room with them both.

"Blumiere? Did you find another—"

"No. I didn't find a thing since we were separated." Blumiere frowned. However, he felt what Timpani was feeling. "It's a…Pure Heart?"

"But where?" Timpani asked, eyeing the room completely. Something occurred to her, though. "Mimi…does she have it?" Timpani cautiously walked over to the unconscious Mimi, who was on her stomach, eyes snapped shut. The sense was stronger, and she saw something glow from beneath Mimi. Timpani moved Mimi's arm a little bit, only to find an orange-colored, brightly glowing Pure Heart. Mimi was guarding the Pure Heart from Timpani and Blumiere.

"Blumiere, if Mimi had the Pure Heart, then…"

"Then there's more where that came from. Somewhere, someone is controlling Mimi and possibly all my other past minions." Blumiere continued.

"Dimentio…"

"What?"

"Dimentio is that someone, Blumiere! I read it in—wait, oh no, where is it?!" Timpani felt around for the Dark Prognosticus she had read in Castle Bleck, but found nothing. "Ugh, Blumiere, I found the Dark Prognosticus and said that Dimentio—"

"Timpani, stop. There was NO way that Dimentio is the new owner of the Dark Prognosticus." Blumiere interrupted. "It doesn't work like that; minions of the owner of the book can't obtain it. Minions are on the lowest scale when it comes to the Prognosticus; there's the book, then the owner and commander, and then minions. They can never see the book, only follow orders of the owner from the book, alright?"

"But Dimentio WASN'T a minion! He was faking it to get the Chaos Heart from you, Blumiere!!" Timpani defended. "And I mean it; I had the book with me, I just lost it! Blumiere, please, believe me, it just disappeared, and I had it for a while, I swear…"

"Timpani, calm down, you're sounding crazier each minute. Just slow down and take a deep breath," Blumiere moved toward his wife as he said this and took Timpani's hand in his and squeezed it a little. Timpani frowned, feeling very stumped. As she had said, Timpani had the Prognosticus up until then, and she couldn't figure out why it was gone suddenly. Timpani looked at the ground, not knowing what to say at all.

"Urr…" Mimi groaned. "Uck…"

Timpani jumped at the sound of Mimi's shifting, and she stumbled backwards, alert of what the small girl might still do to them. Mimi opened her eyes.

"Don't think this is over, dummies. Next time, I won't take it so easy on you!!" Mimi growled. She disappeared in a small explosion, leaving the two behind feeling unsure about what had happened before them.

To their surprise, the front door creaked open abruptly with no hesitation, it sounded like. "Hello? Blumiere? Timpani? Are you two alright?"

"It's Merlon," Blumiere smiled. "Come on, love." He pulled Timpani up off the floor and they walked into the front room, to see Merlon placing the books that were knocked over back on the shelves and picking up containers that were spilled. Old, tattered papers were scattered on the floor as well as almost all of Merlon's belongings.

"Merlon, don't worry, we're alright." Blumiere assured. Timpani grew concerned as she saw Merlon clean up; she felt guilty of what had happened. She felt like it was her, or their, fault that his home was torn apart by Mimi.

"Is anything broken?"

"No, no, I'm alright," Merlon sighed, standing up straight and eying the two and the mess surrounding them. Timpani smiled at Merlon's gullibility.

"No, I mean is any _furniture_ broken?" Timpani clarified.

"None appears to be," Merlon replied, picking up the Light Prognosticus off of the floor. "Just thank goodness Mimi didn't find this here. I couldn't find an open entrance around back or anywhere else, so I could only hope she wouldn't get it."

Blumiere bent over to pick up a picture frame, but in the frame, there was a picture of a woman with long, orange hair and sunglasses with clothes that were orange and red. Next to it, there was a person relevant to the woman in the other picture, except her hair was yellow and her clothes were blue. Timpani looked over his shoulder.

"Who are these people?" Blumiere asked.

"That's Merlee," Timpani pointed to the first woman in the picture. "And that's Merluvee. Merluvee is a fortune-teller here in Flipside, and Merlee is a charmer in Flopside. Both are descendants of the Ancients."

"Precisely, Timpani, I couldn't say it better myself." Merlon commented. Timpani frowned, realizing something.

"Merlon, where are Merlee and Merluvee, anyway?" Timpani asked. "They could help us figure out what was going on…"

"I'm not sure where they are. It disappoints me to say that, but a few weeks back, they just disappeared," Merlon explained. Blumiere hung the two pictures back on the wall as Timpani struggled to move a chair back into place.

"Which reminds me; do you know where Mario or any of the Heroes might be?" Blumiere questioned. Merlon paused for a very long time.

"…Mario?"

Blumiere blinked, completely in awe. Merlon sounded as if he had never heard of Mario in his life, but sure enough, Merlon had aided Mario in the last prophecy. "Yes, Merlon, _Mario,_" Blumiere repeated. "You know the Hero who stopped the voids from destroying all worlds, the Hero who _you_ helped in his time of need?"

"…How does that name sound familiar…?" Merlon trailed off. Timpani frowned, just as confused as Blumiere.

"Merlon, don't you remember Mario? Princess Peach? King Bowser? Luigi?" Timpani inquired. "I mean, you _do _remember me, right?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I remember you, Timpani, but…"

"What happened to you, Merlon?! Mario helped save—KYAAAH!" Timpani cried as the earth suddenly shook violently. Glass items and containers on the shelves began to rattle, and some even fell to the floor, shattering the entire piece. Timpani yelped as one was headed for her, but Blumiere grabbed her arm and kept her close to him.

To their fortune, the shaking stopped in about a minute. Silence filled the room after that, making sure that nothing was going to happen.

"…What just happened?" Timpani whispered. Merlon looked out the window.

"It's a void, and it looks recognizable, as if I've seen it before," Merlon remarked.

"That's because you have!" Timpani exclaimed. "Do you have amnesia or something?! Voids emerged in the skies everywhere in every dimension to destroy the worlds!! It has to be pretty hard for you to forget!"

"It's so vague to me, Timpani, I just can't quite remember." Merlon replied.

"Perhaps this relates with something; King Bowser called me 'Count Bleck' so many times, I couldn't stand it. I thought that he knew my name was Blumiere, and he didn't even know who you were, Timpani." Blumiere admitted. "I don't know what was wrong with him; he was acting like I was his best friend for marrying Peach and him, but it wasn't even a wedding! I mean, He could remember THAT, but not our real names…I've been called 'Bleck' by more people than I'd like."

Timpani felt satisfied with Blumiere's explanation; she wasn't the only one who wasn't in understanding with their hosts when they were separated.

"And Peach was acting odd, too. I don't really understand; didn't you tell them about my past life before I was a Pixl, Merlon?" Timpani asked. Merlon wasn't sure what to say.

"I…"

Knowing the answer, Timpani continued on. "She didn't remember me! I didn't understand it; we were good friends when we met, and if you told them about my past life, then she'd value it, or at least ask. She seemed way clueless."

"Honestly, you two, Peach, Bowser, Mario, and Luigi seem like names I've heard of, but…" Merlon mumbled.

Merlon paused, and shook his head suddenly. "No, wait! Wait a moment, it's coming back…a blaze…there was bright flash some odd days ago, and I remember losing some of my memory, but when I came out of my house, no one could remember who I was or who any of the other citizens of Flipside were…"

"Brainwashing, then?" Timpani asked. Blumiere cringed at the word. It reminded him of his former assistant, Nastasia, who was very loyal to Blumiere, and, though Blumiere had no clue, Nastasia was in love with Blumiere.

"Nastasia…couldn't be behind this, could she?" Blumiere stammered. _No, she couldn't be; she swore her allegiance to me, no matter what…But so did Mimi…_

"Blumiere, of course not. Nastasia wouldn't go off serving some other evil if you didn't want her to." Timpani replied. _At least, I sure hope not…_


	8. VIII

_A quick update! Hooray! _

_(sniff) Yes, I do have a cold, and yes, I am very tired! X-x It makes me want to just curl up and play video games all day, and I WANT to, but I have school stuff to do. Yuck. But I managed to pull myself together and get something up here fast. Hopefully this'll occupy you all for a while. :) _

_"My hope was that I could give a character away, at least one today. Soon all your questions will be brought to a finish, just hang on tight and soon they will diminish!!" Will THAT give you a clue, all you SPM fans out there? XD I sure hope so..._

_I'll keep thinking about stuff during my boring classes during the school day (AKA: English, Health, Gym...O.o), so don't worry about me. I find things to do, and I know what I'm doing with this story!! _

_I'd like to thank __**Dimention**__ for reviewing so fast, and the odd part is, his was the longest I've ever seen in my life!! He had so many questions to ask, and my only hope is that this chapter might answer at least one. Does quick math in her head That means..._

_I MIGHT HAVE ONE LESS QUESTION TO ANSWER!! -Jumps with glee, but lands on a table, falls over, and hits the ground hard- (cough) R&R PLEASE:D_

* * *

**8**

Merlon sent the two out of his home to spend time together for a little bit while he consulted the Light Prognosticus to see what it had to say and attempt to remember Mario and friends. Timpani and Blumiere obeyed it with no hesitation; they both wanted to see each other alone again, even if it was just for a few minutes.

After finding a place to sit on the outskirts of Flipside, the couple got close together as they felt a cool breeze blow through. Timpani shivered for a moment, but soon decided to accept the chilly air as a sign of peace, and relaxed.

"Mmm, there's that autumn weather I wanted," Timpani smiled, resting her head on Blumiere's shoulder. He held her tightly to keep her feeling of protection continuing.

"Yes, and I'm glad for it, too; change is good sometimes." Blumiere agreed. Noticing Timpani shivering a little more, he looked down at her. "Are you cold?"

"Only a little, Blumiere," Timpani replied quietly. "But I want to stay next to you for a little longer." Blumiere lifted his cape and draped a part of it over Timpani, who relaxed and closed her eyes. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome. But I can't help but wonder why Merlon lost his memory. How could he remember you, Count Bleck, Merlee, and Merluvee but not anything about the last prophecy?" Blumiere asked. "The scene he described sounded very odd, and I'm still very concerned if Nastasia is behind this."

There was a brief silence. Seeing Timpani look away, Blumiere continued.

"Timpani, do you think Merlon will remember the Heroes soon?"

"Soon enough, I hope. We need to stop this from—" Timpani was interrupted by an abrupt, yet quick, rumbling from the ground. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough for them to recognize and feel insecure about the tremor. Blumiere noticed that the void in the sky had grown larger.

"The void has grown larger," Blumiere alerted. "That was very fast; didn't it just appear minutes ago?" Timpani nodded anxiously. "As soon as Merlon tells us what he's found, we need to get started on this, otherwise Flipside will be destroyed in no time at all!"

Timpani said nothing in response. She began to get tense about what the future would hold for the town between dimensions; would it remain unharmed or would it be destroyed completely, like Sammer's Kingdom once had?

Her thoughts came to a halt as Merlon walked towards the two, apparently holding news, as he looked somewhat eager to share it. Timpani and Blumiere got up on their feet, pleased to see him so quickly after he asked for them to leave.

"Here so soon, Merlon?" Timpani asked.

"Do you have information from the Light Prognosticus?" Blumiere questioned.

"Yes, in fact I do, Blumiere," Merlon replied. "And I'm starting to regain my thoughts slowly. Is this 'Mario' you're talking about a man dressed in red?"

"That's right!" Timpani burst out, overly excited. She paused to regain herself. "Erm…I mean, yes, that's correct."

"The Light Prognosticus mentions quite a lot about him in this prophecy that's happening as we speak. One of my other books tells where he and his brother live." Merlon pulled out a slip of paper that had an address on it and gave it to Blumiere. "There, I believe, you can find Mario. And, please, Timpani, take this, as well." He gave Timpani a small red warp pipe. "Use this to get back to Flipside when you need to."

"Thank you, Merlon, we'll hopefully be back soon!" Timpani thanked, getting out the orange Pure Heart and holding it next to the slip of paper that Blumiere had. The two disappeared quickly out of Flipside to where the well-known and well-loved hero named Mario lived.

* * *

Blumiere and Timpani landed on moist emerald green grass. The sky was a soft sapphire color as the sun shown bright. Tall trees towered above the field of grass, but in the distance, there was a small house with a red roof.

"Mario's house?" Blumiere asked, pointing to the home. Timpani shrugged.

"It looks right," Timpani responded. "Red roof, green mailbox, peaceful surroundings, to be sure…I just hope they're home. The void hasn't appeared here yet, which gives us more time; let's go!" Timpani and Blumiere walked toward the small cottage and stepped up onto the patio. Blumiere knocked on the door.

But no one answered. Blumiere simply knocked a little louder.

"Hello? Mario, are you home?" Timpani called. There was no answer. "This is weird, Blumiere, I don't see a reason why they wouldn't be—" The door suddenly fell out of its hinges and fell forward onto the patio. Timpani and Blumiere instantly backed away.

"What on Earth??" Blumiere exclaimed. Timpani decided to go inside, followed by Blumiere. "Mario, I think you need a new door; it just took a one-way ticket to the Underwhere…" Timpani stepped in the middle of the kitchen and found neither of the Heroes.

"Mario, are you here? Luigi? Anyone?!" Timpani shouted. "It's Timpani…or Tippi, rather. We need your help!"

Blumiere walked over to the living room. "Timpani, I don't think they're here. And something's seriously wrong. I mean that, too; the door fell down and if Mario and Luigi aren't here, then…" Timpani grew with fright.

"Then what? Really, Blumiere, where else could they be?" Timpani asked. "You saw Bowser, right? And I saw Peach, right? Did Bowser mention ANYTHING, even the slightest detail if he was going to capture Peach or something?"

"No, he didn't,"

"Then where are they? I mean, I just don't understand…" Timpani leaned on the wall, desperate for answers. "Without Mario, I don't know if…I mean, we might not be able to…we can't just…" Blumiere walked towards Timpani and held her hand.

"Timpani, calm down, we'll figure things out soon. But right now, let's start searching for where Mario and Luigi might be." Blumiere suggested. Timpani sighed.

"Alright…"

With that, the two exited Mario's home, and on their way out, they lifted the door and propped it up on the doorframe, hoping that Mario would find it and at least replace it. Timpani and Blumiere paced down the road, unsure of where to start looking for the man in red and the guy in green.

A little later, they found themselves in a surrounding of hills, geometric trees, and a few flowers around the path. It all looked familiar to Timpani, and she recognized this place to be Lineland, the world she and Mario had started out in, and she remembered that a wizard named Bestovious resided here as well.

"Blumiere, have you ever heard of Bestovious before?" Timpani asked.

"I've read about him in the Dark Prognosticus, but I've never seen him before," Blumiere answered. "Isn't he the wizard who gave Mario his dimensional powers?" Timpani nodded. On their journey a few months back, Bestovious had granted Mario with dimensional powers that gave him the ability to flip from 2-D to 3-D.

"I think he lives here; in fact, I'm pretty sure he does."

"Good. That way, we can see if he's heard anything from Mario or Luigi." Blumiere said. Upon saying this, a house came into view that had a large entry and one window. Timpani and Blumiere climbed up a few stairs and Blumiere knocked on the door.

"Hopefully someone will be home this time…" Blumiere whispered.

"Bestovious, it's Tim—_Tippi. _Are you home?" Timpani called. Blumiere looked at Timpani with a confused look. "I can explain my name later; no one knows me as Timpani except you and Merlon now." Blumiere nodded and listened through the door. There was a long silence.

"Where is everyone?" Timpani asked. Blumiere held up a hand.

"Shh. I hear something…" Blumiere warned. Timpani blinked and listened through the door as well. There was a soft whirring noise behind the door, but it started getting louder with each second passing. Blumiere took caution and held onto Timpani's hand firmly.

"Blumiere…" Timpani whispered. The whirring kept getting strident, and soon it became very noticeable. Blumiere pulled Timpani to the side.

"ACK!!" Timpani yelped.

"Watch out!!" Blumiere teleported out of the way with Timpani as an explosion wiped out the door completely. Smoke filled the area as sparks flew through the air as if a volcano had erupted. Blumiere and Timpani reappeared away from where the explosion had occurred.

"What the heck just happened?!" Timpani's eyes widened at the horrific scene.

"Told you we should've just knocked them out with a hammer…" A female voice accused. "Your plans are just as bad as your grammar!"

"SHH!!" Another hissed "quietly". "You'll get us found out!"

"Hey! Did you cause this explosion?" Blumiere asked, unable to see the two, for they were hidden by the smoke. "You nearly killed my wife and I! I demand answers, or at least an apology!!"

"Too bad for you, we won't give secrets, especially to 'the two'!!" The first voice laughed. Blumiere waved through the cloud of smoke, and it disappeared. To their misfortune, the two mysterious people were gone without a trace.

"Who on earth was that? It was almost familiar..." Timpani asked, looking up at the sky.

"Good question, but for now, let's see if Bestovious is alright." Blumiere said. Timpani nodded, and they went into the wizard's home.


	9. IX

_:) Hello, everyone:)_

_It's currently thundering outside right now where I live, so I need to get off the computer before I get zapped or something. XD (Nah, I kid. I'll be fine, but I want to get off here soon.)_

_This is a short chapter! WHOA! I wasn't expecting that, so it's completely my bad. Next one will be longer, I promise. I'm working on 11 as you read this; I like to stay on top of my writing. I need to have at least one chapter ready to go before I post another one up, so sorry if I update less quickly. _

_FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT DIMENTIO, MIMI, O'CHUNKS, AND NASTASIA:_

_**WAIT!!**__ The next one will have Nastasia and some other character...But I shall never tell...Mwhahaha! You'll have to wait to find out!! X3_

_Enjoy please! Thanks to all who review(ed)!! 8D_

* * *

**9**

The room was pitch black as ever as soon as the front door to Bestovious's house closed. Both couldn't see each other, and they couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces at all.

Timpani's foot caught something on the ground, and she fell face-forward. "YAAGH! Oof!" She cried as she hit the floor.

"Timpani, are you alright?"

"Ugh, yes, I think…" Timpani grunted, getting up to her feet. "I don't know what I tripped over though…"

_Thud. _

"OW!!" Blumiere cried. "Where is the light switch in here?! I can't see a thing!"

"Blumiere, I can't even see my own hand! Where are you?!"

"…I don't know!! Everything looks the same to me; pitch black darkness!"

"How could you have lived in Castle Bleck, anyhow?!"

"Not the point!! Try to feel around to see if you can find a light switch or anything that can make light!!"

Timpani felt a sharp pain on her head. "OW! Blumiere, that's NOT a light switch, that's my ribbon!!"

"Sorry,"

"Does Bestovious even have a light switch or does he have candles?"

"…I really hope he has a light switch. I don't have any matches on me, do you?"

"No."

"Never mind, then. Feel around on the walls."

A pause, then a shatter.

"Oh, dear…"

"Timpani, what did you do?!"

"I broke something…!"

"Um…try to step over it and keep looking! Just be careful…"

Something shattered again.

"Blumiere…!" Timpani was trying to hold in her laughter, but was failing.

"…Ah well…it's his fault for leaving the lights off and leaving breakable objects unwatched over…" Blumiere went along with the situation, making it amusing to Timpani.

"You're silly, Blumiere, do you know that?"

"I tend to think I'm…humorous, instead of 'silly', per say,"

Timpani laughed. "You're humorous, then."

"Better. Much better." Timpani could almost see Blumiere's smirk in the dark. He chuckled lightly. "Just keep looking, _amour_, we'll find it soon enough." Something orange glowed in the dark, giving off light for the two to see.

"Blumiere! The Pure Heart is…glowing?"

"Cooperation and humor makes a wonderful marriage, I suppose." Blumiere answered, walking towards the glow in Timpani's pocket. "And I think this is our way out." Timpani handed Blumiere the orange Pure Heart and soon found a figure of a light switch and turned it on. Both Timpani and Blumiere rubbed their eyes.

"Next time warn me before you do that…" Blumiere gave a small laugh as he handed the Pure Heart back to Timpani.

"Sure thing." Timpani smiled. She put the Pure Heart back into her pocket. Her smile instantly disappeared as she took sight to the room. The furniture was knocked over, papers were everywhere, and books were scattered across the entire floor.

"Perhaps Bestovious wouldn't mind about the two glasses shattering after all," Blumiere remarked. "He has worse things to worry about." Timpani knelt down.

"What happened here??" Timpani exclaimed. "It's like a tornado ripped through this place!!"

"But it's no ordinary mess; I think someone was looking for something." Blumiere said, picking up two papers off the floor. They had both been ripped apart from each other. "Look at this; this is a page telling how the Heroes defeated the prophecy from a few months back. Someone tore it apart."

"This is so weird; no traces of Mario, Luigi, or Bestovious! What's going on?" Timpani asked.

"Not to mention Merlee, Merluvee, Nastasia, and O'Chunks. Things are starting to get confusing, yet they almost relate…" Blumiere said.

"What do you mean?" Timpani questioned.

"Think about it; if Dimentio is really who is behind this like you say he is, then who else would take the others?" Blumiere explained. "And didn't that man who attacked us a while ago look a little bit familiar?"

"_No matter! Brobot the Third, come forth!!" _The shout rang through Timpani's mind like loud chimes. "…No, it can't be…Mr. L…" Timpani trailed off. "LUIGI!!"

"We need to get back to Merlon's," Blumiere said. "And we need to get there quickly. Do you have that warp pipe with you, Timpani?"

Timpani pulled out the small red warp pipe from her pocket. "Er…yes, but it's awful small. How can both of us fit inside it?" A red aura formed around Timpani and Blumiere after she finished, and they started spinning around. "Yeek! What's happening?!"

The two vanished into thin air, on their way to Flipside…


	10. X

_IT'S 10!! ALRIGHT!! _

_I'm so happy that I'm hanging onto this story; I've never had such a long story and stayed with it before in my life. :) I owe it all to my reviewers; they seriously keep me going. COOKIE CAKE FOR ALL:D_

_Sorry for the slow update; my school life packed me down this week. X-x Luckily, though, I have 10 right now, and it's ready to go:D Read on, read on!_

_Yes, this is a mention of a character, and yes, the character is here and gone in a flash in this chapter. :( Sorry about that, but I felt like it fit here best. BUT! An appearance of Dimentio in this one! That, I will give away. The rest, you'll have to read for yourself. _

_Enjoy! I'm almost finished with 11! _

* * *

**10**

"So, you're telling me that you're feeling like 'the count' is behind the void in the sky?" Merlon asked a young lady, who adjusted her glasses.

"That's right. The void's enormous in Flopside right now, so I thought I'd come by here to see what you thought," She cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back. "So…um…do you have any clues about this?"

"I don't honestly know a count, except Count Bleck, but if you describe him to me…"

The name perked her interest. "Count…Bleck?"

"Yes," Merlon pulled the Light Prognosticus off a small table. He opened it and flipped through the pages. "Why, do you know him?"

"…We were…friends…" She hesitated. "But the count that I'm looking for has a white cape, a white hat, a monocle…and a staff."

Merlon paid no heed to her comment, but stopped at a page and read it aloud, but in a hushed voice.

"'_An enlightened Lady, a devoted count, and a forever-loyal assistant; all will rise up against the Dark Prognosticus and defeat an evil self-proclaimed king.'_" Merlon said. The young lady frowned when she heard him recite it from the book.

"What…what was that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The passage you read. '_An enlightened Lady, a devoted count, and a forever-loyal assistant; all will rise up against the Dark Prognosticus and defeat an evil self-proclaimed king.'_ Are there…three new Heroes this time?" She asked curiously but cautiously.

"Sounds like it. If Timpani and Blumiere come back with Mario, then there'll be seven, if you count the ones from last time." Merlon said, reflecting on his recent readings from the last prophecy.

"Timpani…and…Blumiere?!" She exclaimed. "Blumiere" was a name even more familiar to her than anyone else's. She frowned, but quickly smiled, remembering how she needed to look at the bright side of things. _He's alive, then…! _"Wh—where did they go?"

"To Lineland, I believe."

_Not far from here…I hope they come back soon—_

The door creaked open. "Merlon! We have—Oh…my…Na—Nastasia?!" Blumiere stammered. The young lady turned and nearly burst with joy, but collected herself into a kind smile and bowed.

"It's nice to see you, count," Nastasia blushed; she always had a crush on Blumiere, though he didn't know it. She was very timid around him, only to make sure to stay on his bright side; otherwise she'd be in trouble. The only thing that she was still trying to get over was that Blumiere was already married and would never love Nastasia the way she did.

"Nastasia, hopefully you remember Lady Timpani. Timpani, this is Nastasia, even though you've probably met before," Blumiere introduced. Timpani curtseyed.

"It's great to see you again, Nastasia!" Timpani smiled. Nastasia winced at the sight of the two side by side, now holding hands.

"…Same to you."

"What are you doing here, Nastasia?" Blumiere asked.

"A void is in the sky of Flopside, and it's enormous. I mean, really enormous. It grew so fast, and I'm not surprised if Flopside's in ruins now." Nastasia explained.

"Speaking of a void, do you know anything about a certain brainwashing that's occurred to many people, Nastasia?" Timpani asked.

"No, actually, not." Nastasia frowned. _She was probably thinking it was me…_ "Why, did you suspect me of something?"

"I…er…" Timpani stammered. Blumiere squeezed Timpani's hand.

"Of course not!" Blumiere lied. "We would never suspect you of doing such a horrid thing, right Timpani?" He gave Timpani a hard stare, indicating for her to go along with the lie.

"Oh! Of course not! Not you, Nastasia; never!" Timpani laughed. Nastasia shrugged; there was no use questioning them, or it'd only confuse them all to a worse extent.

"Now, Blumiere, you said that you had something to tell me, I think?" Merlon prompted. Blumiere cleared his throat.

"Ahem, yes," Blumiere nodded. "We have reasons to believe that Mario's brother, Luigi, may have been kidnapped by Dimentio." Merlon closed his eyes and pondered on that comment.

"The Light Prognosticus does mention something about a jester…does Dimentio fit that description?" Merlon asked.

"As a matter of fact, it does." Timpani nodded. Nastasia said nothing, feeling jealousy starting to play with her temper. Timpani hadn't been in Merlon's house for five minutes, and Nastasia was already starting to get tired of her being around. It was enough that she and Blumiere were married, and that Nastasia herself had already seen the two together, but something was making her feel like slapping Timpani straightforward. But Nastasia resisted, thinking of the outcomes of such an action.

"Then Dimentio must be who we're up against after all." Merlon concluded. "It's come to my attention that he possesses a strong energy…perhaps the Chaos Heart. If that's true, then you three must collect the eight Pure Hearts to counteract the Chaos Heart and stop this from happening once more."

"Hold up, Merlon. First off, how could Dimentio have the Chaos Heart in the first place, since Bowser and Peach had to marry to form it?" Blumiere asked.

"My only explanation for that is the 'wedding' in the first prophecy might have not been a wedding in the first place," Merlon replied. "Blumiere, since you married Peach and Bowser together, and you weren't authorized to do so, then my only guess is that for the Chaos Heart to form, both groom and bride must say 'I do', but it doesn't mean they have to be married."

"So Dimentio brainwashed Bowser and Peach into doing the same thing this time, then?" Timpani asked. Nastasia decided to get out of Merlon's house, so she opened the door quietly and slipped out.

"That's my thought. This time, Peach would be willing to marry Bowser while under Dimentio's brainwashing technique. My question is, where did that power come from?" Merlon replied.

"I don't know, but what we need to find out what happened to Mario," Blumiere replied. "When we went to find him, his door fell over, and there wasn't anyone there. Bestovious wasn't at his house either, and we were almost killed from an attack."

"Bestovious…!" Merlon gulped. "Where could he have gone to?! This is horrible!"

"Where should we start, Merlon? I mean, if Flopside is destroyed, then I don't know if we have much time." Timpani said.

"Maybe Bowser and Peach are still back at their castles. They must have been married before we were separated because the void appeared before we were taken back."

"So Bowser's castle should be where you start first, then." Merlon smiled. "On your way then, both of you. I'll begin to decifer some more of the Light Prognosticus." Blumiere took hold of Timpani, and disappeared instantly, on their way to Bowser's castle.

Nastasia walked to the outskirts of Flipside and crossed her arms. She could stand how her heart ached and longed for the count, but when Timpani was there, it was unbearable. Those two were together, and she could never even hope to split them apart. She knew that she could never stand against Timpani, anyway.

But the passage that Merlon said was concerning her. It said that an "ever-loyal assistant" would go up against a self-proclaimed king. She was an assistant, of course, but she was beginning to doubt her loyalty, and even started believing that the Light Prognosticus was wrong.

"Why do I even bother, I mean, it's like the count would ever recognize me as a lover anyways." Nastasia mumbled.

"Ah ha ha. Silly Nastasia, you're more correct than you've ever been!" Someone laughed. Nastasia looked around, a little surprised by the voice. Without warning, a jester appeared in the air before her. "That count is such a heartbreaker, isn't he?"

"D-Dimentio!" Nastasia stammered. "How did you—"

"Ugh, details bore me, but deals don't. What do you say we have one right now?"

"No way am I ever going to help you do something," Nastasia growled. Dimentio snickered.

"Ah, I'm sure of that, but doesn't it just hurt you to see that girl and Blumiere expressing love right in front of you?" Dimentio asked, landing on the ground.

"…Well, yeah…" Nastasia whispered.

"And I mean, they knew you were right there! Can't they just accept you or at least acknowledge you?" Dimentio persuaded. "Sounds to me like good old fashioned ignorance. How pathetic!"

"…" Nastasia was close to tears now. Everything that Dimentio said seemed so true…

"I bet you feel hurt, tired, and frustrated, don't you?" Dimentio picked up a rock that was near his foot. "But luckily, with a little magic," The rock began to glow purple, "and some sweet, sweet revenge," Dimentio formed a fist around the rock, "then I'm sure we can work things out around the count." When Dimentio opened his hand, the rock was now fine grains of dust in his black-gloved hand. He blew the dust out of his hand, causing it to whirl around in the air, and drop to the ground.

"So, how would you like to do some of your old job, for old time's sake, hmm?" Dimentio proposed. Nastasia didn't look up and remained silent.

"…I…erm…"

Dimentio snapped his fingers, and Nastasia fell to the ground. "How about it, Nastasia? For me?"

Nastasia got up, straightened her glasses, and saluted Dimentio. "Of course, my king. Whatever you say."

"Ah ha ha! Absolutely perfect," Dimentio grinned. "Oh, and by the way, pencil in a 2:45 brainwashing for the good people of the Bitlands, would you?"

"Certainly, King Dimentio."

"Get back to Castle Dimention as soon as you get done with that, alright? The soda machine is out of order…" Dimentio frowned.

"Yes, sir."

Dimentio laughed as he disappeared. "Changing the Light Prognosticus's prophecy…ah ha ha ha…they won't ever suspect it!"


	11. XI

_Yes, it's a quick update! Hooray for you all! XD _

_I've been on the computer for over two hours finishing 12 up so I can post this. I always like to leave at least one chapter ready so I can keep up with my work. ;) Thanks for all the patience!_

_It's long! YESH! Finally, a longer chapter!! -dances around- I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**11**

_A soft breeze blew through the leaves of a large oak tree, causing one to snap off its branch. It glided through the air, and it began to fall to the ground. Just before that, however, a gloved hand grabbed it in midair by its stem, careful not to bring harm to the small leaf. _

"_Timpani, look," he said, showing the leaf to a young girl of about twenty with long, golden hair and a white dress. "Autumn's almost here, and this leaf was the first to fall. Soon more will follow after it, only to find death before them. None of them can survive without their tree."_

"_I feel so bad for it. That poor leaf…" Timpani replied. She smiled, though. "But even more leaves will replace those that fall off that oak tree, Blumiere. There's still hope." Blumiere smiled as well and let it go and it soared through the air once more until it was out of reach from the two. Blumiere reached into his cape and pulled out something, but put it behind his back. _

"_Timpani, I don't want our love to die like that leaf, and I certainly don't want it to be replaced, so I wanted to give you something special to remind you of our affection for each other," Blumiere held Timpani's hand, and she eagerly awaited Blumiere's gift to her. He opened his hand behind his back and showed to her what it was:_

_It was a rainbow-colored ribbon. _

"_Oh, Blumiere!" Timpani blushed. _

"_This ribbon reminded me of you when I saw it, so I couldn't turn it down," Blumiere smiled. "Would you like me to put it in your hair for you?"_

"_O-of course…" Timpani replied happily. She turned her back to Blumiere, and he began to pull some of her golden, straight hair up, giving the illusion of shorter hair. He tied it into a butterfly knot, and it even looked like a butterfly when he finished. _

"_There."_

_Timpani turned around, smiling. "How do I look?"_

"_Lovely!" Blumiere replied, chuckling._

_She laughed. "Why, thank you, kind sir!" She got up, curtsied, and threw herself into Blumiere without warning. "Thank you, I love it."_

"_My pleasure, Timpani." _

* * *

Timpani touched her ribbon atop her head as they walked down a stone pathway that was surrounded by lava. The surroundings were making her feel quite unsettled, so she moved closer to her husband. Blumiere, feeling her warmth up against his body, put his hand on her waist.

"It'll be alright, _amour_, don't worry."

"As long as you're sure…" Timpani whispered as she felt the heat from the lava below. The two continued on cautiously, every once in a while leaning closer to each other to feel safer. They soon approached the drawbridge that Blumiere had crossed before, and they stopped.

"This is where I disappeared from when I fell from the sky in Flipside," Blumiere said. "Nastasia, do you know anything about this place?"

There was no response.

"Nastasia?" Blumiere asked. They turned around.

"Nastasia?! Where did she go?!" Timpani exclaimed. "Wasn't she just behind us?"

"She must have stayed behind; she usually doesn't like doing these kinds of things." Blumiere shrugged. "We need to keep moving, though. I'm pretty sure Nastasia will be fine." He began to keep moving towards Bowser's castle, leaving Timpani behind only a little, unsure of his comment. She noticed he was going on without her, and started sprinting after him.

"GAH!! BLUMIERE, WAIT!!"

* * *

The two arrived at two large doors of Bowser's enormous castle, and were surprised to see it was unguarded. So far, there wasn't any obstacles for them to overcome, no enemies they had to fight, and overall, no problems they had to deal with. It was almost too easy.

"The next thing we're going to see is the doors to be unlocked," Blumiere remarked sarcastically. Timpani nodded in agreement. "But still, we should look for another way in…"

"But we don't know that they're locked for sure, Blumiere. Perhaps we should just try it first." Timpani replied, tugging on the door handles, which opened the door quite easily. Both fell silent.

"What do you know," Blumiere whispered. "The doors ARE unlocked." Timpani began to walk inside, but he grabbed her gloved hand quickly. "Timpani, just remember to stay quiet; I almost didn't make it out when I was brought here. Just be prepared, alright?"

Timpani nodded. "You do the same, and I promise I will." Blumiere smiled, and the two crept in silently, letting the door close gently behind them. "…Where do we start? Bowser could be anywhere…"

"Will you be alright if we split up just this once, Timpani? We'll cover more ground that way, but if you don't feel comfortable doing so…" Blumiere suggested. Timpani frowned and looked away, remembering what happened the last time they were split apart.

"I…don't know, but if that is really what we need to do, then we should." Timpani sighed. Blumiere gave her a tight, sincere hug.

"Then we should. We'll meet right back at this place in…" Blumiere looked up at a clock. "Five minutes. I love you, and be alert as possible, okay?" Timpani nodded, returning the embrace. She stepped back and watched Blumiere teleport as she forced a smile. As soon as he left, she began to search for a place to start, and settled with a door near her. Timpani opened it as silently as possible, only to find a staircase leading down to a lower level. She grabbed onto the hand-railing and started down.

"Bowser…! Where are you? It's Tim—ugh, Tippi!" Timpani whispered. "Are you even down here?" She eventually found the floor, but the room was pitch black dark. "And yet more darkness. Surprise, surprise; this castle has it all." She began to walk carefully, occasionally waving her hands in the air to make sure nothing would cause any harm to her. And she didn't want to break anything for the second time; being the kind and gentle lady she was.

She turned her head, and in an instant, something ran into her. Or she ran into it; either way, the thing or person ran into Timpani, and sent her landing on the floor, back first. She sat up.

"Eek! Sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you…obviously…it's pitch black dark in here! Can you turn on a light or something? …Wait, don't! I don't want to see how injured you must be after running into a klutz like I am. Err…" Timpani stammered, shaking. _I hope it's you, Blumiere!_

The lights suddenly turned on, almost blinding Timpani's eyes, and she rubbed them. "OW! A little warning next time, please…!"

"…Good GRAVY!" A rough voice exclaimed. "H-how did a girl like YOU get in here?!"

Timpani felt confused, and with her eyes still covered, she said, "I…what? The door was open…! My husband and I are looking for King Bowser, and so we split up, and I came down here. Do you know where he is? The world is in danger…rather, the universe is in danger!!"

"The door was open?!" The voice repeated. "If I told them once, I've told them a lot of times, my minions need to lock the door when they're the last in! Sheesh, it's pretty hard to get to them sometimes."

Timpani uncovered her eyes and gasped at who stood before her. A spiked shell, red hair, horns, a spiked tail, and a scowling face that soon turned into a shocked gaze when Timpani looked up; it was King Bowser Koopa himself that Timpani had run into. Timpani scooted backwards.

"Err…King…Bowser?!" Timpani blinked in surprise. Bowser's jaw dropped.

"Whoa, WHOA! Time out!" Bowser exclaimed. Timpani frowned.

"…Huh?"

"We…we didn't even introduce ourselves yet! Well, actually, you know me, but I don't know you!" Bowser smoothed out his dark orange hair and smiled. Timpani felt dumbfounded. Bowser was acting very different, almost like he did around—

"Bowser, it's me, Timpani! Do you remember Tippi? The Pixl butterfly that helped you a few months ago? That was me!" Timpani explained. "You have to come with me to find Blumiere; the universe is in danger, and we need you to help us!"

"Wow…forget Peach, you're really the cutest girls I've ever seen!!" Bowser smirked. Timpani blushed, but gasped and gulped. Bowser wasn't himself at all!

"…What?!" Timpani shrieked. Bowser grabbed Timpani's arm, yanked her up on her feet, and held both hands. "Eek!"

"Oh, this is great! You actually said earlier that you were looking for me! Finally someone loves me for who I am!! Wow!" Bowser cried happily, closing his eyes. Timpani was speechless. "All I have to do is file a divorce with Peach, and then we can get married! We'll be in love; an awesome love that'll never, EVER end!!"

"B-but I'm already married!" Timpani managed to get out. Her heart began to race as she began to fall into a pool of nervousness that seemed to never end. She looked over at a clock, and it had been four minutes since Blumiere set the time to come back to the front. That made her even more scared. _He'll have to come look for me…right?_

"Then we'll be alright after you divorce your dumb hubby; I'll be your new one in a snap!" Bowser laughed. Timpani snapped her eyes shut and stomped on the ground, desperate for understanding.

"NO! YOU DON'T GET IT! I'm married, and I love my husband! I don't want to marry you! I want you to help us save all the worlds from destruction!!" Timpani shouted. Bowser paid no attention to her comment, and started up again.

"And King Dimentio himself will be our priest! He married Peach and I, you know." Bowser smirked. "Won't it be wonderful! We just need to find you a wedding dress…"

"Bowser, please, listen!" Timpani yelped as soon as she heard Dimentio's name. "Dimentio's evil, and he's trying to destroy the universe!!"

"You really need a new hairstyle to go with that dress,"

"No, I mean it, stop thinking about that!"

"You're right, you probably don't need one. Just a nice boquet would do fine."

"QUIT TALKING ABOUT A WEDDING THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!"

"But I know you'll look just beautiful anyway you do anything!" Bowser smiled.

"**Bowser?!**" someone cried. Timpani looked over and smiled. "WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. TO. MY. WIFE?!"

"Blumiere!!" Timpani exclaimed. Blumiere was on the last step, and he was everything but happy as soon as he saw Bowser and Timpani so close together.

"What—who the heck are you supposed to be?!"

"You don't remember two seconds of your life, do you?" Blumiere fumed. "I was just here a day ago, and you don't even remember that! What DO you remember, Bowser?"

"Well, I remember Dimentio marrying Peach and I, and then a black heart thing…But then I woke up and I felt weird. That spider girl came with this guy who was really hard to understand, and there was a bright flash, and…that's it." Bowser rambled on. There was a pause. "OH! DANGIT! YOU MADE ME TELL!!" Timpani was pushed hard away from Bowser, but Blumiere caught her before she hit a wall behind them.

"Bowser, just calm—" Timpani started, but was interrupted by fire erupting towards them both.

"And I remember what the King told me! To destroy you two for GOOD!" Bowser roared. Blumiere pulled Timpani up the stairs, and they ran as fast as they possibly could down a hall as Bowser and his fire breath chased after them. Timpani tried to open the doors, but they wouldn't budge even slightly.

"Great, they're locked from the inside!!" Timpani exclaimed. Blumiere took Timpani's hand and ran up a staircase near the door as he saw Bowser approaching them at a quick pace.

"Then we'll take a detour upstairs!" Blumiere replied. They ran into a room, shut the door, and locked it. Both panted heavily, trying to catch their breath.

"This is horrible; how will we get out of this place??" Timpani asked. Blumiere turned around and was instantly shocked; the room they were in was the same room that Blumiere had been in when he and Timpani were separated, but the room was covered black with soot.

"What the heck happened here?!" Blumiere asked.

"There must have been an explosion of some kind…" Timpani said. The room shook heavily, followed by a loud roar.

"OPEN THE DOOR, AND I WON'T HURT YOU…THAT MUCH!!"

"We have to get out of here right now; jump out the window, and I'll keep us safe!" Blumiere noted the bars on the window were broken off, and so he took this to his advantage. He grabbed Timpani by the waist and leaped out the window, and hovered above the ground for a while, but then began to soar at a steady pace through the crisp air, above a vast ocean of lava.

"Whoa! Whoa!! I didn't know you could do this with someone else you're holding!!" Timpani kicked her legs in the air, feeling like she'd fall any second, but she wouldn't because of Blumiere's tight grip.

"Ugh, it's harder when that someone won't stay still!" Blumiere added. "So hold still, _amoureux_, I won't drop you if you just hold still!" Timpani swallowed.

"It's HARD not to move, though! You try to trust someone to hang on to you in midair over a load of lava!!" Timpani struggled to stop moving around, but Blumiere took his free hand and put it on Timpani's chin.

"Hush. It'll be alright. Just relax, get out the Flipside pipe, and we can be on solid ground in no time." Blumiere whispered. Timpani did as she was told, and got the red warp pipe out from her pocket. In doing so, however, Timpani dropped a little bit, and Blumiere's hand was on her upper stomach.

"ACK! Blumiere!!" Timpani blushed, scrambling to get herself higher up in Blumiere's arms.

"It'll be fine, I got you!!"

"It sure doesn't seem that way!!" Timpani snapped her eyes shut.

"Gah!! Stop moving so much!!" Blumiere struggled to keep Timpani in his grip.

"Wait, I…EEEK!" Timpani slipped loose of Blumiere's hand, and her ribbon came undone as Blumiere tried to grab onto her. Blumiere held the ribbon from Timpani's hair, and gasped as he saw Timpani fall to the hot flames below.

"TIMPANI!!"

"BLUMIERE!!" Timpani cried. There was a bright flash, and they both blacked out.


	12. XII

_-Runs in, papers flying behind her and gathering herself together as she grabs her Wii-mote- _

_I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! You wouldn't believe the week I've had!! Yikes! Monday I had two tests; one in science and one in orchestra, and on the same day I felt sick and light-headed, and no matter what, it wouldn't go away for long! Haven't been on the Wii in two days, and it's been missing me, I know it. I won't get to it tonight, but maybe tomorrow afternoon. I haven't been on the computer in a very long time...So forgive me, I really do hate my schedule right now, but after this week, it'll ease up, I'm sure. :) (BTW: I'm better now. Relax. I won't die.)_

_Tinga is a real character. She really does own the inn, and she says "Welcome to Tinga's Inn" in the game, so I made an assumption that that was her name. ;) _

_MEMORY MEMORY MEMORY IN THIS CHAPTER! It's in italics, so yes, you'll know when it is. I was very curious to know what really had happened to Timpani when Merlon said he had found her "hanging by a thread", and I wondered how Blumiere's father knew about Timpani. So let's see if you can guess who exactly did this to her, and no it's not Blumiere, Dimentio, O'Chunks, or anyone like that. He is mentioned in the game, only has a minor role, but a major part. Blumiere knows him very well, but that doesn't mean he likes him. __**Take a guess and put it in your review. Give it a shot, and I'll give you a virtual chocolate chip cookie if you get it right!!**_

_I got lazy with the ending. Sorry. I was rushing and sort of went "THE HECK WITH IT" and made the ending kind of screwed up. Heh...enjoy anyways!_

* * *

**12**

Merlon looked up at the sky, feeling anxious about what awaited the city between dimensions, otherwise known as Flipside. The void had grown larger and larger since Timpani and Blumiere had left, and countless tremors had occurred. It only left Merlon feeling unsettled about what would happen to the town.

He had looked in the Light Prognosticus, but it gave him no clues as to what would come. When he tried to look ahead, only blank pages appeared before him. Merlon could only come to the conclusion that he was only permitted to look at a specific group of pages at a time, and after a little while, he could see another group of pages. This frustrated him; he needed to know the things that would befall him and others in the future so they could be kept safe.

"Merlon, do you have a free moment?"

Merlon turned to see a woman at the door, who he recognized to be Tinga, the innkeeper. Merlon nodded. "Of course."

"Then come with me, there's something, I need you to see." Tinga was fully serious, and her usual smile was now a concerned frown. Merlon followed her out of his home, locked the door on his way out, and started towards the hotel.

* * *

_Timpani smiled as Blumiere held her hands in his. They were so warm up against the cold night wind that was blowing against them._

"_Timpani, meet me here at midnight, and we can leave this horrid place and find one where we can love each other freely," Blumiere whispered. Timpani nodded. _

"_I will. See you tonight, then?"_

_Blumiere nodded, and after a tight hug, the two went in their separate directions; each to their castles where they lived._

_As night fell, Timpani kept a close eye on the time. She decided to bring nothing with her, and to leave no note; as soon as her parents heard of Blumiere's origin, they were working on betrothing Timpani so she could never see him again. The last thing she wanted to say to them was, "I love you". _

_Timpani decided to set out already so she could have time to get to their spot safely and securely. It'd be harder this time since she had to be even more secret about going there. She opened the window and leaped to the tree branch near the outside wall of the castle, and began to climb down it. Timpani jumped onto the ground, and started to run carefully, yet quickly. _

_After many minutes passed, Timpani was in sight of the place Blumiere and she always met. Blumiere was not there yet, but she was expecting that, only because he was kept on tight security at his castle. But something felt wrong, like she was being watched. Her heart began to race ever so slightly, but she walked on. _

_Suddenly, Timpani felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, and she cried out. She fell to the ground, and felt where she had been hit to see if she was suffering any horrible wounds. Her hand felt wet, and she dared not look at it, being the squeamish girl she was. _

_Her first thought was to find Blumiere as soon as possible, but as soon as she thought that, someone had kicked her very hard in the stomach, only making the pain worse. _

"_S-stop! What do you want from me?!" Timpani cried. _

"_To stay away from Blumiere." _

_Timpani felt a powerful energy over her, and she suddenly appeared in a bright place with people walking around her. They all stopped what they were doing and ran over to her. _

"_Good heavens, what happened?!" _

"_She's hurt! Get Merlon, QUICK!"_

"_No, take her to the inn first!"_

"_Someone get Saffron to make her something! She looks like she needs to eat!"_

"_Her head is bleeding! Where's Merlon?!" _

"_The poor girl! What did she do to deserve this?!"_

"_Who did this to her?"_

"_Does anyone know CPR?! She looks like she's going to pass out any second!"_

"_Stop! All of you get away from the girl! Give her some air!!" A strong voice yelled. Timpani's eyes were drooping, and she struggled to keep them open. She could only see a silhouette of a wizard approaching her. _

"_Ugh…"_

"_Goodness, what happened to you? What is your name? Can you even tell me that much?"_

"_Ti…p…i…" Timpani managed to get out, vision darkening drastically._

_The wizard frowned, unable to decipher what Timpani had muttered before starting to pass out. "Well, er…just relax, and I'll get you feeling better in no time…" He thought for a while, unsure of what to do to the girl; she would die soon, but there was always that route to turn her into a Pixl. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was a desperate time. There was no other option; he would have to find something on her that was most recognizable and easy to identify. He spotted her rainbow colored ribbon that Blumiere had got her a few days back. _

_Her ribbon in her hair, Timpani sensed, was becoming undone, and she felt power over her body as she blacked out, but she couldn't feel her arms and legs._

"_There…you'll just need rest, and I think you'll be alright…" There was a pause here. "…Tippi."_

* * *

"Here they are. I didn't know who they are, but I decided you might know. Do they look familiar?" Tinga asked Merlon, ushering him in the inn. Merlon gasped; Blumiere and Timpani were on two beds, clearly unconscious. He ran over to their side.

"What? Where did you find them?" Merlon asked.

"They were at the bottom of the tower, and they were unconscious. I didn't know what to do or where you were, so I just took them to my inn."

"How long have they been here?"

"Oh, about ten minutes, I think. I went to Saffron's to get some soup for them when they wake up, so yes, about ten minutes." Tinga replied. Merlon felt Timpani's forehead. It felt normal, and she was breathing, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was. He had sent them to Bowser's castle, and now they were like this. Merlon noticed that Blumiere was holding Timpani's ribbon in his hand.

"Umm…err…" Blumiere stirred. "What…happened…?"

"Blumiere!" Merlon smiled. "You're awake! What really did happen to you?"

"I don't know…A bright flash, and then I blacked out…and...Timpani!!" Blumiere realized, sitting up. Tinga put a hand on his chest, and nudged him down on his back.

"You should rest; I don't know what happened either, but—"

"She fell into the lava! I couldn't catch her, but I grabbed her ribbon, and…!" Blumiere looked at Timpani's hair ribbon, completely unharmed. "…I don't understand…"

"Timpani's here, lad, don't worry." Merlon gestured at Timpani, and Blumiere sighed with relief, and took Timpani in his arms.

"Timpani, oh thank goodness you're alright!" Blumiere closed his eyes, approaching tears fast. "I thought I lost you for good…" Timpani groaned.

"Err…Blumiere…?" Timpani smiled. Blumiere stroked Timpani's golden hair that was now longer than it had been with the ribbon in it.

"I'm here, love, don't worry. I thought you were gone for good when I dropped you. I'm so sorry, dear, it won't happen again, I promise." Blumiere said. Merlon brought Tinga out the door, along with him, only to give the two their privacy they needed. Timpani shut her eyes.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Timpani giggled. "You're so silly sometimes when you blame yourself for things. I should've stopped wiggling around so much."

"I'd prefer you call me 'humorous'." Blumiere winked. Timpani laughed.

"Humorous, then!" Timpani hugged her husband tightly.

"As much as I would love to stay and cuddle, we should probably get to Merlon's, huh?" Blumiere smiled. Timpani nodded. The count helped the Lady up and out the door they went, careful of their slight lack of balance.


	13. XIII

_THERE! I'm giving you another chapter:) Just because you all have been so nice to me...! ;) As for the answer to who almost killed Timpani, well, I'll say it right now; it was Blumiere's father. It's not what Nintendo says, it's what I say!! So no killing me on that, okay?! _

_Gosh, I'm hungry. I've been on the computer all afternoon, and I haven't done anything else...XD Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**13**

The couple had spent about ten minutes explaining everything that happened at Bowser's castle to Merlon, and the wizard asked questions to get more detail from the situation. All three were very confused still about the bright flash that had occurred outside of Bowser's castle.

"Maybe the Pure Hearts did something." Blumiere suggested.

"Or our strong love just helped us both and sent us back here…" Timpani added.

"I can't tell, but by the way you described it, it could be either of those causes," Merlon responded. "But the only thing that matters is that you're alright…right?" Blumiere looked over at Timpani, who nodded.

"Yes, I think so. Just a little unsettled that we almost died." Timpani smiled. Merlon did the same.

"And what should be our next move?" Blumiere crossed his arms. "I mean, Bowser is on Dimentio's side, he even said so. Luigi is most likely Mr. L now, and we don't know where Mario is. Bestovious is missing, Merlee is gone, and Merluvee is gone as well. Nastasia…wasn't with us when we got to Bowser's castle. I don't know where she could've gone to. We have two Pure Hearts, the other six are still scattered across the worlds, the Chaos Heart is intact still, and there is a growing void above this city."

"The bottom line, I think Blumiere is trying to say, is that we're not doing so well and the odds are against us." Timpani frowned. "Has the Light Prognosticus told you anything yet, Merlon?"

"I was reading it just a small amount, and it said something about the Bitlands. Timpani, have you been there by any chance?"

"Yes, I have, actually. Last time, I was kidnapped by…" Timpani gulped at the memory of the nerdy chameleon who had kidnapped her; Francis. Blumiere looked at Timpani, concerned.

"By…?" Blumiere urged.

"No one important. But I have a feeling that the Pure Heart is there somewhere, so we should definitely go there." Timpani said. Blumiere shrugged.

"Just as long as we find it as soon as possible, then I say we shout give it a shot." Blumiere nodded. Merlon sighed with satisfaction.

"Then that sounds like our best bet. To our advantage, the doors on top of the tower are still there, and I believe the Bitlands are located in the yellow door. The other doors are sealed shut until you find the Pure Heart in a specific world." Merlon explained. "Questions?"

"Just one; how will we know if it's the right world, other than the door color?" Blumiere asked.

"We'll know, believe me. They don't call it Bitlands for nothing…!" Timpani smirked. Merlon opened the door, and Timpani and Blumiere ran to the outside, ready to take on the challenge of the third Pure Heart that awaited them behind the door on Flipside Tower.

"On your way, you two, quickly now! You have no time to waste!" Merlon called. "…Good luck."

* * *

Timpani and Blumiere stepped off the elevator and walked to the yellow door a few feet in front of them. Blumiere looked up.

"And you're certain this is the right one?"

"That was the way that Mario and I came in last time. Let's go, the void looks really big from up here…and it's starting to freak me out…" Timpani replied. They opened the yellow doors, and went down a long, blackened hallway. There was no light in sight, until they got about halfway down the hall and saw a small little light in front of them.

"What is that, Blumiere?" Timpani asked, rubbing her eyes to see if it was a hallucination.

"A light; we're getting close to the Bitlands, I think," The count replied. Timpani, though she couldn't be seen in the dark, had cringed. She never wanted to see Francis ever again after she was kidnapped by the geeky chameleon, but at least since she had changed into a human, he wouldn't recognize her. Plus, Blumiere would protect her if need be.

But Blumiere had felt something was wrong with his wife, and he felt for her hand. "Timpani, what's wrong? You've been hiding something from me lately. Why are you acting so strange when someone mentions the Bitlands?"

"…It's nothing, nothing's wrong," Timpani lied, feeling her stomach turn slightly at the thought. Blumiere had stopped now.

"Timpani, something is wrong. Let me know, please, one of my many vows to you were to help you through problems when we were married," Blumiere said. "I know you were kidnapped here, but who kidnapped you, really?"

Timpani fell silent, unable to speak a word.

"Timpani, answer me, please." Blumiere urged, feeling a tad frustrated. "I'll stay here until you tell me, even if the worlds are destroyed while doing so."

Blumiere made a fist with his free hand, but did not tighten grip on Timpani's hand. "Really, love! What is it?!"

"Nothing! It's alright!"

"_Non, il n'est pas_! You're concerning me, dearest love, and I want to know what's wrong!"

"Blumiere, nothing is wrong, let's just go before the world is destroyed!" Timpani felt Blumiere's hands on her shoulders, gripping them tightly.

"I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, but just let me know what the heck is going on," Blumiere apologized. "Please, Timpani, you can tell me anything. I need to know what's happening to you so I can help…"

"Nothing serious…"

"Are you sure? It doesn't sound like it's nothing serious."

Timpani remained silent, avoiding eye contact; she didn't know what in the world to admit to Blumiere. Being kidnapped by a crazed chameleon was hard to believe, but it was also hard to share with someone else.

"Ugh, Timpani! You are so ridiculous sometimes; what will make you tell me what the problem is?!"

"Francis is what it is!!" Timpani blurted out, feeling the anger in Blumiere's voice, and feeling it in her own. She was slightly startled by how loud she had gotten at this point.

"Well, tell me what he looks like so I can keep you safe from him!" Blumiere replied quickly to Timpani's comment.

"He won't be able to recognize me anyways! Why should I?!" Timpani defended. Blumiere sighed and felt through Timpani's hair, finding the ribbon that he had given to her.

"He'll recognize this…" Blumiere trailed off. Timpani felt trapped, and she grew so close to walking back through the doors to Flipside.

"So what should I do? Take it out?" Timpani asked innocently. Blumiere hugged Timpani as he began to undo the ribbon.

"Yes, and I'll hang onto it."

"But…you gave it to me again at our wedding…"

"I know, but if it'll keep you safe from harm, then it means so much to me." Blumiere smiled as the ribbon fell loose and fell into his hands, and Timpani's straight hair fell long. Blumiere set his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Don't worry, your hair looks fine."

"If you're sure," Timpani laughed quietly.

"Let's go, we have a Pure Heart to find." Blumiere began to move on, leaving Timpani feeling hesitant, but she took a deep breath and went along with her husband out the hallway and into the bright sunlight-filled land. The entire surrounding was completely pixilated with fairly small bits; the only thing that wasn't was Timpani and Blumiere. To Timpani, it wasn't much news, but to Blumiere, it was quite an atmosphere change.

"So this is the Bitlands? I see why they call it that now…" Blumiere smiled, putting Timpani's ribbon inside his cape. Timpani felt her hair; it was so long now, she was almost bugged by it. Timpani forced a smile, however, so Blumiere might believe that Timpani was truly alright.

But Blumiere wasn't fooled for a second. He caught her fingering through her hair, and took her hand. "Don't worry about it, just relax."

"…Huh? Oh, of course I'm relaxed, Blumiere, it's okay, really."

"But you're concerned, aren't you?"

Timpani hesitated. "All I'm concerned about is what just happened. I-I'm sorry about that back there…"

"It's alright, love, don't think about it anymore." Blumiere smiled. Timpani squeezed her husband's hand.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise. We need to focus on getting that Pure Heart, and it feels far off, but just a little." Blumiere started walking with Timpani following him shortly behind. "This might actually be fairly simple…"


	14. XIV

_Whew! What a crazy week; I've had so many quizzes and tests I've lost count! Neh! Thank goodness I'm able to post! _

_Sorry for the short one, but I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**14**

The two had been walking for several minutes, keeping as silent as possible in case if enemies were nearby. But that was just it; there was not a single enemy out in the Bitlands. Not even a Goomba was among the couple, and they both became instantly suspicious.

"Why isn't there anyone here?" Timpani whispered.

"Good question, and I don't know." Blumiere replied, looking around. He couldn't find an explanation for how easy this was. "This 'Francis" you told me about…does he kidnap people all the time?"

"Only Pixls, I think." Timpani answered.

"So he doesn't kidnap any Goombas, Koopas, or anyone like that?"

"Not to my understanding, no." Timpani replied. Blumiere raised an eyebrow.

"That's…weird. Why isn't anyone out here, then?" Blumiere questioned. "We're the two new Heroes of another prophecy, we seek Pure Hearts, and we want to destroy Dimentio. What is so hard about sending minions on us to kill us? …Not that I mind, or anything, but still, this is odd."

"But maybe Dimentio—"

"HARBLE-DEH!" A scruff voice with a heavy Scottish accent exclaimed. "So yeh showed up, did yeh?!" Blumiere and Timpani recognized the voice from anywhere, and Timpani got closer to Blumiere, only for protection.

"O'Chunks…"

A fairly large man fell from the sky and landed on his feet, shaking the earth by doing so. Timpani nearly fell over at the sudden tremor, but Blumiere caught her in his arms and set her back on her feet. O'Chunks stretched and yawned.

"Well, it took yeh long enough! The King didn't like teh wait, but he told meh to stay at me post!" O'Chunks sighed. "Didn't make sense at all, but bein' the loyal man I am, I obeyed the King in a heartbeat!"

Blumiere noticed something different about O'Chunks; not only was he referring to Dimentio as a king, but he was wearing a hat that resembled Dimentio's. Other than that, it was regular O'Chunks, always ready for a fight, even when unnecessary.

"O'Chunks, listen to me! You don't want to serve Dimentio, do you? Because if you did, you'd have to kill your one, true love, Na—" Blumiere persuaded.

"Heh! Don't yeh worry, count! Nastasia's on our side now!" O'Chunks laughed. Blumiere and Timpani were dumbfounded.

"Nastasia's on…?!" Timpani repeated. "That's impossible! She was so dedicated to Blumiere, and—"

"Don't say anything else about wee Nastasia! She's my only lo…" O'Chunks did a double-take at Timpani, and cleared his throat. He bowed to a very confused Timpani. "Erm, excuse me, sweet lass, I shouldn't act like that in a Lady's presence, now should I?"

Timpani blinked. "Wha…What?!"

"A fair maiden shouldn't have to battle…" O'Chunks blushed. Blumiere slapped his forehead.

"UGH! How many guys can hit on you in one day, Timpani?!" Blumiere growled. Timpani scowled.

"One was already too much for me…" Timpani crossed her arms. "Listen, O'Chunks, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm happily married to Blumiere here, and if you'll excuse us, then we'll be on our way…" O'Chunks stomped his feet.

"Already…WHUZZAH?" O'Chunks glared. "Fine! Then I'll have to fight yeh hubby here and whoever loses gives up yeh to the winner! Howzzat?!" Timpani gasped.

"WHAT?!"

Blumiere, fuming and frustrated, pushed Timpani to the side. "I'll happily accept that challenge, O'Chunks," Blumiere glowered. As he stepped forward, Timpani desperately grabbed for him, and ended up snatching Count Blumiere's white cape.

"Blumiere, you're BETTING me?!" Timpani exclaimed. "What if you lose?! We'll never see each other again!!"

"I'll be fine, dearest. I've faced four Heroes before, faced Dimentio before, and faced my father before. I think I can handle one of my past minions," Blumiere assured. He tugged his cape out of Timpani's hands and continued on forward.

O'Chunks jumped on the ground, and one enormous wall separated Blumiere and Timpani from each other. The Lady was taken aback by this move; now she couldn't help Blumiere, and he couldn't retreat. Blumiere, on the other side, didn't pay heed to it; he just wanted to get this over with so they could find the third Pure Heart. Gripping his staff and getting into a fighting posture, Blumiere readied himself for a hard battle.

"Are yeh ready to face yer room?!" O'Chunks dared. Blumiere lowered his staff, puzzled by the comment.

"…'Room'?" Blumiere repeated. O'Chunks put his hand on his chin.

"Well…doom, I think it 'tis…" O'Chunks thought. He shook his head. "Gah! Whatever it be, yeh won't get mercy from meh!" He took a piece of earth and threw it directly at Blumiere, who was taken by surprise with this. He dodged it, however, just before the huge rock hit him.

On the other side, Timpani winced at the vibration from the other side. She wanted Blumiere to win so badly, she almost wanted to rip down the huge stone wall and help her husband. Timpani swallowed after she heard a grunt. She wasn't sure who it came from, but soon after, there was a yell that rang out. There was a pause, and then continuous shaking and crashes Timpani's eyes began to fill with tears, fearing her husband would be lost.

"BLUMIERE!!"

Blumiere had cast a large void in the sky with his staff, and it was beginning to suck everything into it except himself. O'Chunks grabbed onto the ground, desperate for something to keep him from getting forced into the void, but was starting to fail.

"'EY! THAT'S CHEATIN'!!"

"THEN SURRENDER AND I'LL STOP IT!" Blumiere held down his white hat from getting blown off. O'Chunks sighed.

"Fine, then! I surrender, count!!" O'Chunks shouted. Blumiere moved his arm in a downward motion, and the void closed. "I have a feelin' the King wants a report…CHUNKS AWAY!!" Everything was silent, except for a small breeze whistling by.

"Shortest fight I've ever had…"

The wall fell down, and Timpani ran over to Blumiere, who was kneeling on the ground tiredly. She embraced the count hard, full of relief. Blumiere felt his shoulder become wet with Timpani's hot tears, and pulled her down to the ground gently as she sobbed lightly.

"Love, what is wrong?" Blumiere frowned as he wiped her wet eyes. "Why are you crying??"

"I can't…believe you made it…" Timpani weeped. "For a while, I thought you would lose…" Blumiere put his hand over her mouth.

"Hush," Blumiere said. "It's alright; I shouldn't have done that. It was pretty foolish of me; he was harder than usual…" Timpani relaxed as she heard Blumiere talk. "There. Where do you think the next Pure Heart might be?"

"Right where it's hard for me to go," Timpani answered, wiping her eyes and standing up straight. "Fort Francis."


	15. XV

_Yes, another update in such short time! Yay for you! I've been working on this story the entire morning since I got up; this thing slipped up a little bit after the craziness of this week. XD But I'm glad you guys forgive me...right?_

_**THE BIG 15!! WHOO!! **__Yay! This is exciting for me! 8D Thanks to all who review and read! Cookies for you!_

_BTW: __Fidéle__ is French for 'faithful'. __**This is a made up name, it's not really his last name.**__ Don't you guys think that the name 'Blumiere' is French? Yeah, I thought so, too. ;) I don't know if it's Italian or French, but here, it's French, so deal with it!_

_Enjoy!!_

* * *

**15**

Timpani and Blumiere journeyed on through the empty Bitlands in silence, not knowing what to expect. Timpani had an idea of what was to come, but still wasn't exactly sure about it; she thought that a glimmering ocean called the Tile Pool would come their way very soon. However, because of the change in surroundings, both were unsettled at a possible surprise.

"How big is this place?" Blumiere asked finally. Timpani sat down as her feet and legs ached for a rest.

"Big. That's all I can say," Timpani sighed. "Ugh, at this rate I don't even know if we can stop this from happening. We only have two Pure Hearts, and voids are starting to appear in every world…" Blumiere knelt down, but as he was about to say something, a huge tremor shook the entire land, and a void slowly faded into the sky.

"Just like that." Timpani said, slightly in awe at how quickly it came.

"Don't say that," Blumiere said. "You told me that hope and love were the only things that mattered in this world when we were stopping the destruction of worlds last time, and this time, it's my turn. We can't give up like this, Timpani, you know that."

"But the odds—"

"Forget the odds. If we stay here any longer, the odds will be crushing us flat." Blumiere helped Timpani up on her feet, and they walked on.

"I was thinking just a little bit earlier about our next challenge, Blumiere, and I thought—!" Timpani started, but suddenly vanished. Blumiere gasped and looked frantically around for her.

"Timpani?! Where—what—how…oh…" Blumiere looked down at the ground, only to see a ledge suddenly dropping about a foot into crystal blue water. "Of course. Such a twisted plotline we have to follow…" Blumiere jumped into the water, cape flowing behind him. Timpani was on the floor of the ocean, trying to grasp her surroundings. Seeing Blumiere swim towards her, she smiled.

"Blumiere, did you know we can breathe underwater," Timpani laughed, "and talk without drowning? We can open our eyes without getting our vision blurred or getting hurt!" Blumiere frowned.

"Are you sure?" He tried Timpani's theory, and felt fine; no lightheadedness, no dizziness, no blacking out. He took a big sigh, and found the same thing. "…Weird, but only adding to advantages for us. I have a feeling we're close to Fort Francis, and we have no time to lose."

The two began swimming through the water, still seeing no enemies in sight. They were both on the lookout for shortcuts, traps, and ways out all at the same time. Coming across a door, Blumiere tugged on it, only finding it was locked.

"Urgh, as if things could be any more tedious," Blumiere scowled.

"Where's a key?" Timpani asked, searching around the area. "It has to be somewhere close—" The entire ocean shook at an alarming pace, causing Timpani to yell out with fright.

"Whoaa!! Is the void growing larger?!" Blumiere exclaimed.

"BUH-BLOOP!!" A booming voice yelled.

The couple swam to each other's side, and they watched in horror as a giant Blooper emerged in front of them.

"I'm taking that as a no." Blumiere swallowed.

"BLOOOOP!! (Get out of my ocean, moochers!!)"

"We don't mean to cause harm to you! Let us go quietly to find the Pure Heart and we'll be on our way!" Timpani pleaded. The giant white squid growled.

"BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP?! (You're one of Dimentio's minions, aren't you?!)"

"What?! No! What gives you the idea—" Blumiere started.

"BLOOOOOP!! (I can't take your word on that! Eat tentacle, chumps!!)" With this, the giant Blooper threw his tentacle towards Timpani and Blumiere, who quickly dodged it. This impact, though, separated the married couple, and they began swimming up to the top of the ocean.

Timpani, however, was caught and thrown down by one of the tentacles, and she was slammed onto the Tile Pool's floor. Blumiere stopped, seeing Timpani's failure to get away, and started swimming towards his wife.

"AIEEEK!!"

Timpani saw the giant Blooper beginning to throw down another of his tentacles towards her, and she rolled on her side to escape a painful collision.

"Timpani, hold on!" Blumiere shouted in distress.

"To what?!" Timpani cried. Blumiere frowned and began to look for a way to retreat somehow, but remembered he had his staff still that could cast smaller voids. He focused his power into his staff, began concentrating on forming a void, and waited.

"BLUMIERE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Timpani shouted. Blumiere opened his eyes and groaned.

"It didn't work?!"

"WHAT didn't work?!"

"A void!"

"You're committing suicide?!"

"NO! I was—" Blumiere was shoved to the side by the giant squid and crashed against a wall, and he snapped his eyes shut, feeling pain run through his body. As she watched this, Timpani began to feel helpless; she wanted to get out of this rough battle, but not without Blumiere. Yet, what could she do? If she went after him, she'd get thrown back just like he did. Timpani swallowed, unsure what to do, but she suddenly felt a strong sense of power somewhere near her.

"Wha…What?" Timpani stammered. "Where's that coming from…? Oh no, BLUMIERE!! Wake up! Hurry!!"

Blumiere opened his eyes and saw that he was falling towards an even deeper part of the Tile Pool. He flailed his arms around, trying to regain his power over how fast he was sinking, and finally managed to get on the same floor as Timpani was.

"Are you okay?!" Timpani called after him. Blumiere nodded.

"Just fine…" Blumiere mumbled. Noticing Timpani look around on the ground, Blumiere blinked. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Don't you feel that? That strong power?" Timpani asked.

"Come to think of it, I have been feeling something strange…" Blumiere trailed off. He looked up at the giant Blooper and gasped. "Oh no, you don't think that that thing has the third Pure Heart, do you?!" Timpani looked up and cringed.

"I think it does…"

"How are we supposed to get the Pure Heart away from him, though? He's pretty ticked off, to say the least…" Blumiere asked. Timpani cleared her throat.

"Let me give it a try," Timpani swam up a little towards the enormous Blooper. "Excuse me, my kind sir, but if you have a moment, I'd appreciate if you'd listen to me." The Blooper stopped, confused. Blumiere was in awe at what his wife was doing. It was so simple, and yet a frail young lady was lecturing this huge sea monster.

"The universe is in danger, and we, being Count Blumiere Fidéle and I, are searching for eight Pure Hearts to stop the worlds from being destroyed by Dimentio," Timpani explained. "We need six more, and we were wondering if you've seen any by any chance."

The Blooper blinked, but after a while, he grabbed Blumiere and Timpani, threw them out of the Tile Pool, and they landed on dry land, incredibly soaked. Timpani coughed.

"That didn't work the way I planned…!" Timpani squeezed her hair, trying to get the water out of it. Blumiere wringed his cape.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time, but that was up until you said my last name," Blumiere remarked. Timpani smirked.

"What's wrong with your last name? I think it's nice, and after all, it's mine now, too." Timpani replied. Blumiere sighed, and was suddenly hit with something.

"Ow! What the heck was that?!" Blumiere yelped. Timpani's eyes widened. The object that had hit Blumiere was a bright yellow, glowing heart.

"A Pure Heart! So he was listening after all!" Timpani laughed, picking it up and adoring its splendor. "And on top of that, we made it out alive!" Blumiere turned around and frowned. Before him was an enormous white castle, outlined with gold bricks, two large red doors, and several stories of towers stacked on top of each other.

"…I think we're at Fort Francis…" Blumiere said. Timpani turned around and swallowed.

"Shoot," Timpani whispered. "Is there another Pure Heart inside?"

"Yeah…"

At the same time, the two mumbled, "Dang…"


	16. XVI

_What is this, the third update in a weekend?! You oughtta be thanking me; I wrote all morning again today, and I'm very hungry right now. XD _

_I'm excited about this chapter! Like, REALLY excited about this chapter! Francis appears! I had a request to do a refrence to digibutter.nerr by FranisMona, and I'm proud to say that it's in here, but it may not be up to their standards. o.O Heh, anyhow..._

_Next chapter is complete, but I won't be posting it until tomorrow minimum, Tuesday max. I hope you enjoy this one, and I'm off to eat food. :D SAMMICH!_

* * *

**16**

Blumiere was literally dragging Timpani up to the front doors of Fort Francis. Timpani refused to go, claiming that she was just fine waiting outside for Blumiere to get the Pure Heart, but he insisted that it'd be safer for them both to go; he wouldn't risk Timpani's life again.

"Really, Blumiere! It's alright, I can take care of myself!!" Timpani yelped. Blumiere kept pulling Timpani's arm, no matter how much she had pleaded.

"And you were upset about me 'betting you'. Come on, Timpani, he wouldn't even recognize you! We're wasting time, the void's already grown, we need to get this thing and go! Simple as that!" Blumiere argued. He strained to get Timpani even a foot in front of the door.

"Blumiere! Quit it, I'll be okay out here, really!!" Timpani defended. Blumiere paused.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Okay."

"Really?! Thank you so much! I knew that you'd understand!!" Timpani smiled. Blumiere opened the door, and suddenly yanked her inside. "Wait a second, what?!"

"I knew you'd be okay out there, but that didn't mean I was going to _let_ you stay outside." Blumiere smirked. Timpani groaned.

"I hate your tricks sometimes," Timpani narrowed her eyes. Blumiere couldn't help but to laugh.

"Now, where would the Pure Heart be in a weird place like this?" Blumiere looked to the side, but something nudged him.

"INTRUDERINTRUDERINTRUDERINTRUDER!!" A squealing voice cried. Blumiere and Timpani looked down on the ground to find that a very small cat-like robot was trying to ram Blumiere over. Timpani knelt down.

"I can't believe I'm asking this, but where's Francis?" Timpani asked. The robot leaped at Timpani, knocking her down.

"IWILLDESTROYALLINTRUDERSUNTILTHEYAREDEAD!!" The robot screeched even louder.

Blumiere covered his ears. "Gosh, you're annoying! Shut up!!" Blumiere whacked the robot with his staff off of Timpani's stomach.

"I can't hear anything…!" Timpani moaned, when really she could hear, but had a hard time after the machine had screamed in a high-pitched voice in her face. The robot got to its feet and charged at the count.

"CHAAARRRGE!!"

Blumiere sighed, closed his eyes, hit the robot with his staff, and then stabbed it, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"I could do that all day," Blumiere laughed. He went over to Timpani and helped her up. "Are you alright?"

"Define alright…" Timpani trailed off.

"You look fine to me, so you're alright. Let's get going if we want to get out of here." Blumiere said. They opened a small red door, leading to a long hallway that was swarmed with little cat robots in maid uniforms.

"This Francis guy is more demented than I thought…" Blumiere blinked. Timpani frowned.

"And that huge red door is where Francis is, or at least the last time we saw him." Timpani pointed to a red door that was indeed large; not as big as the front door, but bigger than any of the others. "And it's unlocked…!"

"Good thing, too. I'm getting tired of looking for any more keys." Blumiere moved forward to the door, leaving an unsure Timpani behind. He sighed. "I'll personally feed you to this chameleon if you don't follow me." Timpani instantly ran to Blumiere's side, obviously not wanting to get fed to Francis.

The cat robots, this time, didn't attack either of them. The two were unsure of why, but all the robots said were, "Master is home!" and "A new edition of Geeklore Monthly is out. I will take the liberty of ordering it for you." Timpani and Blumiere shrugged and finally tried to open the door.

"STOP, MEOW!"

"Who said that?!" Blumiere whirled around. Timpani sighed, crossed her arms, and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Before you enter, you must prove your compatibility with Master Francis. Answer these questions either—" The door suddenly appeared with a cat face on it, apparently the guarder of Francis's room.

"True or false, yeah, I know," Timpani narrowed her eyes. Blumiere looked up at the door.

"Is that thing…talking?!" Blumiere exclaimed.

"One: Starship X-Naut—" The guard started.

"True." Timpani interrupted.

"Two: My first love was an anime character."

"True." Timpani answered. Blumiere scowled.

"Timpani, that's just horrible!! You were about to choose a fantasy character over me?!" Blumiere crossed his arms.

"Blumiere, you have to lie to get inside this thing. There's no way that I could ever like any of these things." Timpani smiled.

"Three: I once dumped a friend over—"

"True."

"Four: Don't—"

"True."

"Five—"

"True."

"Answer accepted, meow! You may enter Francis's room!" The door opened, and Timpani stepped in cautiously. As Blumiere followed, however, there was a bright flash that threw Blumiere back. Timpani whirled around.

"Blumiere! What—"

"HOLD IT! ONLY MASTER FRANCIS AND TOTALLY HOT BABES ARE ALLOWED IN THIS ROOM!!" The door guard squeaked. "EVERYONE ELSE GETS THE KITTY LASERS!!" As soon as this shout was done, bright orange lasers began shooting out of the door, and Timpani grabbed Blumiere.

"It just can't get any more idiotic, can it?!" Blumiere growled.

"Quick, get in here!" Timpani pulled open the doors, shoved Blumiere in, ran inside, and slammed the doors shut. Both leaned up against the wall, panting heavily.

"Thank you, Timpani," Blumiere smiled. Timpani smiled.

"I wouldn't get in here without you…" Timpani replied, catching her breath.

"H-hey!! What are YOU doing in here?! How did you get in here!?" A shaking voice exclaimed. Timpani's heart sank at the sound of it and ran around behind Blumiere's cape. She moaned slightly with despair, clasping onto Blumiere's white cape as she felt even more nervous by the second.

Of course, everyone could guess who the voice came from; the nerdy, comic and technology-obsessed chameleon, Francis. Blumiere wasn't intimidated; he had seen worse enemies before, MUCH worse. The only thing that surprised him was how Francis, this weak creature, could posses something so powerful as a Pure Heart.

Blumiere groaned, seeing no other way out but to deal with Francis verbally. "We don't mean to invade your privacy, but we think you have something called a Pure Heart. If you don't mind, could you give it to us?" He hesitated, and found out a persuading lie. "We'll give it right back after we're done with it."

"Wait, did you say, _we_?" Francis asked, adjusting his black heavy-rimmed glasses. Blumiere realized the error he had made; because the guard would only allow girls in, and the way Blumiere got in was through Timpani…

"I…err…well, my _companion_ is…at home." Blumiere lied. Timpani cringed, and only held on to Blumiere's cape tighter. "But nevertheless, we, rather, I, need the Pure Heart, and if you could just give it to me, then I'll leave you alone, by all means." Francis took out a green Pure Heart.

"But wait, that Dimentio guy came and gave me this after he gave that giant Blooper one," Francis gazed at the glowing Heart. "I don't want to give it up! I still have to report it on digibutter.nerr! SO HIIIIII-TECHNICAL!!" Blumiere scowled.

"Dimentio gave you that?! You've got to be kidding me; he's getting so desperate for giving YOU that!" Blumiere scoffed. Timpani gasped.

_No, Blumiere, don't say that, you'll upset—_

"D-desperate?! I'll show you desperate!" Francis fumed, and suddenly disappeared. Blumiere looked around, confused.

"Where did he—" Blumiere was abruptly knocked over, revealing a very frightened Timpani. She noticed, that her ribbon was now on the floor next to Blumiere.

"Blumiere, the ribbon!! Grab it before he sees!!" Timpani yelped. Blumiere quickly grabbed the ribbon and hid it behind his back, but Francis had already noticed, and he reappeared.

"F-FRANCINE!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Francis cried, glancing over in Timpani's direction. He did a double take. "Oh…my…gosh…T-T-TOTALLY HOT BABE IN ROOM!!" Timpani winced. Now she was caught, and she didn't know what to do about it.


	17. XVII

_Okay! Okay! I'm here, for goodness sake! _

_My so-called Tuesday max. posting date turned upside down and killed me in the proccess. I'm revived, and ready to work again. Ugh. XD;; _

_I'm working on 18 as you read this right now, so just chill for a little bit, let schoolwork reign havoc on you for a while, and then unwind and wait for the next one to come! _

_I got loads of "but wait" kind of comments last time...you guys do your homework and know your SPM dialogue stuff, don't you?! I was stressed by that stuff just slightly, but I think I'm alright. For the time being. ;)_

_This story will be around...I don't know, more than 30 chapters. Maybe 40. I have plotline details that I have in mind, and I'm pretty precise about those. Yay. :D _

_FRENCH IS IN HERE. XD Not a lot, but enough for you to PAY ATTENTION TO IT. It's important; not only does it sound very swooning, but it's important later on. That's all I'm saying. For now..._

_Enjoy while I work more and more! XD_

* * *

**17**

"WHA-WHAT?!" Timpani exclaimed. "N-No! I'm not a totally hot babe! You're thinking of…Peach! We're…friends—sisters—cousins—TWICE REMOVED!" Francis stepped towards her, blushing heavily. Blumiere glowered as he saw Francis approaching Timpani.

"Heh, who's Peach?" Francis smiled. Timpani swallowed and began to feel very warm.

"Stay away from her, she's taken!" Blumiere hit Francis with his staff and teleported to Timpani's side. "By me, in fact, and I'm tired of every male we meet hitting on her!!"

"Wha-what?! You mean you two are dating?"

Timpani and Blumiere blushed, and shook their heads. "No, we're MARRIED!" They said at the same time. Francis frowned and took Timpani's hand.

"Then get a divorce! We're perfect for each other!" Francis pleaded.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MY NAME!!" Timpani refused. Blumiere pulled Timpani's hand out of Francis's.

"Let go of her! Don't even think about looking at her!" Blumiere fumed. Francis scowled.

"FINE! Then I'll just have to hurt you for killing Francine!" Francis disappeared. Blumiere felt confused, but Timpani knew exactly what he was talking about; the ribbon in her hair was the part of Timpani that Merlon had turned her into a Pixl with. And because the ribbon was now one strand, it looked like the Pixl, Tippi, had her wings torn off. Obviously, Francis was mad about this, and he was attacking Timpani and Blumiere for it.

"Do you mind?" Blumiere asked.

"Mind what?" Timpani replied.

"Do you mind me hurting this guy?"

"Of course not!"

"Good."

Blumiere took Timpani's waist and jumped up to the chandelier hanging above them. He began to search for a place where the invisible Francis might be, and Timpani only tried to keep her balance on the delicate light fixture.

"Where could he be…?" Blumiere whispered. Timpani looked down at the ground, seeing nothing but an empty room, no Francis in sight.

"I wish he wasn't a chameleon…" Timpani commented. Blumiere nodded in agreement. She felt a tug on her leg, but when she looked down, nothing was there. "Blumiere, what's pulling me…?"

"What?" Blumiere looked down. "I don't see anything…" Timpani was suddenly jerked off the chandelier, and Blumiere gasped at the sight of it.

"Eek! Blumiere!!" Timpani was now falling, and as she hit the floor, dozens of cat robots came marching in the room. "I need your staff!"

"What?! No!!" Blumiere refused. "Just stomp on them!"

"Huh??"

"You know, when Mario was defending himself, didn't he step on Goombas? Just do that!!"

"That's mean!"

"Would you rather be swarmed by cat robots?!"

"Well, no…"

"THEN STOMP ON THEM!!"

Timpani cowered, but did as she was told, and smashed one of the robots, and as she felt the gears below her foot, she trembled slightly. Being the kind, sensitive girl she was, she didn't want to kill an innocent robot, but since it was for Blumiere and her own life, she had no choice. After crushing a few more, she felt a nudge by her.

Feeling the courage build up, she picked up a robot and threw it towards her left, and it hit something.

"OW!" Francis reappeared, rubbing his head. "That hurt!! Don't DO that!!" Timpani looked at the robots, then back at Francis, forming a plan. Blumiere couldn't help but to laugh.

"Timpani, dearest love! Keep doing that!!" Blumiere smirked evilly. Timpani obeyed her husbands plea, and kept throwing the cat robots at the chameleon, and every shot hit him in the head. Blumiere took his staff in hand, and aimed it a little bit above Francis's head.

"_Ne pas lâcher qch quelque chose, mon amour_!!" Blumiere shouted. Timpani stopped.

"What?!" Timpani exclaimed, for she didn't know very fluent French.

"Hang onto something, my love!!" Blumiere translated. Timpani grabbed a pillar that was holding a vase on it, and held on with her might. "_Se preparer, _Timpani!" Focusing his energy into his staff, he cast a dark void above Francis, and it sucked him in. Timpani snapped her eyes shut as her hair blew in her face, and she felt her grip slipping.

"Blumiere, hurry! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!!" Timpani cried. Blumiere thrust his arm downward, closing the void, and Timpani sighed with relief. Francis fell to the floor, and shook his head.

"F-FINE! YOU WIN!! MERCY!!" Francis ran out of the room, dropping the green Pure Heart on his way out the door. Blumiere teleported off the chandelier and onto the floor next to Timpani.

"You alright?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded.

"I'm perfectly fine. Thanks," Timpani smiled, picking up the Pure Heart that was left behind. "Thank goodness we made it out alive…" Blumiere took the ribbon out of his cape.

"Sit and I'll tie this back in for you." Blumiere smiled back. Timpani sat down and let Blumiere pull back her hair and tie in the strand of rainbow-colored silk. Timpani suddenly giggled.

"What?" Blumiere chuckled.

"You need to teach me French; you speak it so fluently, it's like it's your first language," Timpani complemented.

"Really? _Merci, mademoiselle._" Blumiere replied. "I'll try to teach some _Français _to you when we get the chance."

"Which reminds me, why did you speak French to me, anyways?"

Blumiere hesitated. "I can't really explain it; I just found myself talking in French. That, and I do have French background; my father is whole French, my mother is three-quarters French, so I'm quite French myself…Alright, hold still, I'm going to try something different to keep it in longer…"

There was a sharp pain in her head. "OW! What did you just do??" Timpani cried, feeling the back of her head. Blumiere laughed.

"_Tu connaítre, cet est mon cache, mon amour._" Blumiere smirked. Timpani scowled; she knew what he meant, and he was telling her that it was his secret. Blumiere hugged Timpani. "_Je t'adore, _Timpani."

"I love you, too." Timpani smiled. She found the Flipside pipe, and they both vanished into thin air.

"Ah ha ha ha…" Dimentio suddenly materialized where Timpani and Blumiere were at. "My, my! What cute and cuddly conversations the count has with Lady Timpani…And in French, too! The language of love…"

Nastasia appeared by Dimentio's side. "Um, King Dimentio?" Dimentio didn't turn to face Nastasia, but acknowledged her presence.

"Yes, Nastasia?"

"No doubt you've heard about the fourth Pure Heart…" Nastasia trailed off, fearing Dimentio's reaction. He was surprisingly calm, however.

"Well now, did they get the fourth Pure Heart?! Ah ha ha ha…they're getting stronger, that's for sure."

"Aren't you…concerned about that?" Nastasia asked, suspicious of Dementio's plan.

"Of course not, silly assistant."

"Not?"

"Not; their precious little Flipside will be encountering some difficulties very soon." Dimentio grinned evilly. Nastasia nodded.

"Of course, but when was that going to happen again?" Nastasia asked.

"Only time will tell, but surely it's close; very close. I do love a good show," Dimentio was about to leave, but stopped. "Oh, Nastasia?"

"Yes?"

"You head back to the castle for now," Dimentio said. "I have some matters to attend to in a certain somewhere with a certain someone. Go ahead and leave, why don't you?" Nastasia nodded, and transported back to the castle as Dimentio grinned evilly.


	18. XVIII

_YES! I'VE BEEN LOVING THIS CHAPTER EVER SINCE LAST NIGHT WHEN I FINISHED IT!! _

_This will be a very controversial chapter, I just know it. A huge cliffhanger at the end, leaving you all clueless as what is to come, and some very confusing French from dear Blumiere. Let me know what you think, but take it easy...;)_

_I feel SO evil right now. Mwhahahaha! ENJOY!!_

_(Oh, and by the way, check out Dimention's story, Suffixes. It's a really good SPM fanfic sequel thing. We have a thing for Dimentio ruling the worlds...XD)

* * *

___

**18**

"This is wonderful! Two Pure Hearts in one world!" Timpani beamed, hugging Blumiere tightly. "Maybe we _can_ pull this off after all!" Blumiere smiled.

"Could be," Blumiere agreed. "Dimentio's been quiet, though; I'm feeling slightly worried about that. We don't know what he's planning, or how to stop the Chaos Heart." Timpani looked up at her husband with innocence in her eyes.

"And you told me that I should forget the odds," Timpani laughed. "You're so paradoxical sometimes, Blumiere."

"Hm…" Blumiere shrugged. He looked up at the sky, noticing how large the void had grown. "Timpani, look at that…" She only looked away, shaking her head.

"I don't want to. I know we have work to do, and I'm trying to avoid looking at that gaping hole in the sky," Timpani muttered. Blumiere walked on in silence, and soon opened the door to Merlon's house. He gestured her to go inside, and followed her in.

"Merlon, we have four Pure Hearts," Timpani announced. "And…Merlon?" There was silence throughout the room, except for a clock ticking. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she yelped, but that same hand covered her mouth.

"Calm down, Timpani, you're going to have a heart attack," Blumiere whispered. Timpani sighed as she heard Blumiere's voice so close to her. "Something's wrong…" Timpani nodded.

"Hello? Timpani? Blumiere?" A voice called back from the other room. Timpani and Blumiere looked at each other, and went into the other room cautiously.

"Merlon…?" Blumiere asked. Merlon was indeed standing there, holding something behind his back.

"I have great news for you two," Merlon smiled. Blumiere held Timpani's hand tightly, signaling for her to be careful.

"Really…" Blumiere replied, becoming suspicious.

"Yes; I found a Pure Heart!" Merlon exclaimed, holding a light blue Pure Heart. Blumiere was excited, but it suddenly turned to doubt; he couldn't help himself but to wonder how Merlon would find a Pure Heart on his own, let alone venture out amongst dangerous conditions to find one, leaving the Light Prognosticus.

"You…found a Pure Heart?" Timpani repeated, uncertain. "By yourself? Alone? Without help?"

"That's correct; I found it along the outskirts of town,"

"The outskirts of town?" Blumiere asked. _That's way too obvious; anyone could've taken it if it was in the outskirts of Flipside…_

"Yes," Merlon nodded. He paused. "What's wrong? You two are acting different…" Timpani and Blumiere couldn't think of what to say.

"How did…you find a Pure Heart? I mean, we're both concerned about how you got it…You're not one to leave the Light Prognosticus unguarded." Timpani trailed off. Merlon shrugged.

"It was only a short walk that I took, and I found this. Don't worry about it; you two Heroes need this, so please, take it." Merlon held it out to the two. Blumiere hesitated, but touched the Pure Heart. There was some sort of strange energy coming off of it; and he could suddenly see traces of black in the Pure Heart. This surprised Blumiere; the Pure Hearts were supposed to be vibrant, colorful, and obviously, have no traces of black in them at all. Unless they came from the Chaos Heart…

Blumiere stepped back, deep and overwhelmed in doubt. "Merlon, if that's even you, that's not a Pure Heart." Merlon chuckled, as if he were in surprise as well.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious that there's black in that Pure Heart? It's not even a Pure Heart, actually; it came from the Chaos Heart, and it must be feeding off from it's eternal energy. If you let me destroy it, then part of the Chaos Heart will be destroyed," Blumiere explained, gripping his staff firmly and holding out the other hand. Merlon glowered.

"I can't let you do that."

Timpani blinked. "Why…not? It's not a Pure Heart at all, so if it's destroyed, nothing will happen to any of the other Pure Hearts…" There was a sudden crash, and Timpani fell to her knees. "AACK!" Blumiere knelt down next to Timpani.

"Timpani, what the heck happened?! Are you alright?!" Blumiere exclaimed. Timpani nodded.

"Something…hit me. I don't know what, but—"

"Ah ha ha! Silly Timpani and her desperate attempts to persuade!" Merlon laughed, suddenly changing into a jester dressed in black, purple, and gold. "Isn't it wonderful when you're hiding your identity, and people don't even know it?"

"Dimentio!!" Timpani and Blumiere exclaimed with anger at the same time.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Dimentio laughed. "By the way, this spicy little creation of mine only makes the Chaos Heart stronger, you're right about that. I can't tell anything else about that subject, but…"

"Where's Merlon?!" Timpani got up on her feet, Blumiere close to her side, feeling threatened by Dimentio already.

"Ah ha ha ha...oh, I don't know, somewhere…Just not in the Underwhere, that's for sure. He shouldn't be dead yet; that's bad on my part if he is…" Dimentio shrugged. "Ah well."

"Those voids you're creating…how are you doing that, anyway?" Blumiere questioned. Dimentio laughed.

"Leftover power from you, or Count Bleck, rather!" Dimentio replied. "Ah, and it's great to see you, Blumiere! I heard you speaking some French a while ago; lay some on me before I leave." Blumiere growled.

"Not in a million years,"

"Aw, why not? Foreign languages give flavor to this world; you never know what others are saying," Dimentio chuckled. Blumiere felt a small tremor beneath him, as did Timpani, and her heart fluttered at the feeling of it. She looked at Blumiere, concerned.

"Why don't you get out of here, Dimentio? The void will be collapsing here soon, and I wouldn't want you to get killed with us," Blumiere suggested. Timpani's heart sunk as he said this.

"Oh, it won't collapse as long as I'm here. The Chaos Heart knows its master well, and it won't do anything until I tell it to." Dimentio shook his head. "You should really do your homework, you know?" Timpani frowned.

"So if you stay in one world, it won't be destroyed?"

"That's right, Lady Timpani," Dimentio bowed. "And how are you, anyways? Are you and Blumiere getting along nicely? Having any kids?" Timpani blushed and scowled.

"We're getting along fine, but we're not having any kids!" Timpani cried. Dimentio grinned.

"No kids? But why? Isn't that the core of a perfect relationship?" Dimentio asked. Timpani started fuming.

"He and I already decided that! So don't think you're changing my mind about it!" Timpani argued. Sighing, Blumiere leaned on his staff.

"I do hate to change this controversial subject, but honestly, Dimentio, how much time do you think Flipside will have without you here?" Blumiere asked.

"Can't tell you that, sorry," Dimentio winked. Blumiere grew annoyed with Dimentio's secrecy.

"I see. Do you, Dimentio, by any chance, have a Pure Heart with you?" Blumiere narrowed his eyes. Dimentio blinked, and cleared his throat.

"Why do you want to know?"

"If you do, I was hoping to make a…trade, per say."

"I'm listening…"

"Me for a Pure Heart. No questions asked. I'll be your loyal servant, Count Bleck, until you don't want me anymore. No brainwashing, no nothing, just me, swearing allegiance to you. Give Timpani the fifth Pure Heart, and we'll be good. Sound even?"

"BLUMIERE!!" Timpani shrieked.

"Perfectly even." Dimentio ignored Timpani's shrill cry of disapproval.

"Good. Give Timpani the Pure Heart," Blumiere stepped aside, letting Dimentio hand Timpani the fifth light blue Pure Heart. Timpani took it hesitantly, scared of what Blumiere's idea was. Dimentio stepped back.

"Welcome to my alliance, Count Bleck. Nice to have you again!" Dimentio greeted. Blumiere's face remained emotionless, and as he turned to Timpani, he used an almost irritated voice with her.

"_Je aller être rendre bientôt, mon amour. Je suis aller vers espion._" Blumiere winked at a very scared and confused Timpani, squeezed her hand, and turned to face Dimentio. "Let's go before I change my mind…" Dimentio laughed.

"Ciao, Timpani!" Dimentio snapped his fingers, and both Blumiere and Dimentio disappeared. Timpani felt something in her hand, and looked down to see a bright red rose. Her eyes filled with tears. Timpani fell to the floor, overwhelmed with fright and overcome with despair. She didn't know what Blumiere had said to her, but she did know this; Blumiere was gone. He had betrayed her, lied to her, and worst of all, left her to fend for herself.

"Blumiere…my Blumiere…how could you do this to me? Us? The world?!" Timpani's tears streamed down her soft cheeks and landed on the floor, seeming just as unsettled and fearful as she was then.

"Timpani? What happened?!" A familiar voice gasped. Timpani didn't even have to look up to know it was Merlon standing above her. "Where's Blumiere? Are you hurt?"

"Blumiere…is gone…" Timpani sobbed. "Count Bleck…is here; he's joined Dimentio, and I have a feeling they can't be stopped."


	19. XIX

_LOL! Thanks for not killing me on the last chapter! It was fun to see the reactions of you all, though. I did the thing people feared, I think is what it was. ;) But seriously; thank you all to my reviewers, especially __**Dimention, Twilight Being92, Princess of Flames, and literaldramaqueen**__, who constantly try to review every time I post. :D _

_I got several predictions in my latest reviews; some were on the right track, some were way off, some were perfectly right on target. You'll know what happens in this exact chapter..._

_I don't want to say when the next chapter will be up, only because last time I did that, I was late. Horribly late. And we all know how much I hate that! _

_This chapter has HUMOR! WHOO! Finally! It doesn't seem like it, but there will certainly be humor tucked away closer towards the end. Poor Mimi. _

_Enjoy this chapter; next one will be the big 20 I've been beaming about:D_

* * *

**19**

"It was absolutely horrible…" Timpani finished explaining what had happened, wiping her eyes on occasion. "Oh, Merlon, what should I do? Blumiere always protected me and fought for me, and without him, I'm hopelessly lost! I'll never be able to find the three other Pure Hearts now…"

"There, there, Timpani. Don't be so negative about yourself," Merlon comforted, handing her a tissue. She took it with no hesitation and wiped her face. "I'm sure that you can find Blumiere in a snap; it wouldn't be that hard; we know where he is, after all: Castle Dimention, right?"

"But we don't know where THAT is!" Timpani sobbed. "Why did he have to go, anyway?! That's so…unlike him! He just left me here!"

"Did he say something to you before he left?" Merlon asked. Timpani looked up at the wizard and thought for a little while.

"He said something in French…I don't know what…" Timpani trailed off. "Something something something _espion._" Merlon took a book off his shelf and looked through it, and gasped suddenly. "What is it, Merlon?"

"_Espion _means 'spy' in French…I believe it is, yes," Merlon looked up at Timpani. She grew anxious.

"Are you saying that he…is spying on Dimentio?" Timpani clarified.

"I'm not saying that, but he probably is doing something other than actually working for him." Merlon shut the book. "Perhaps if you start looking for the sixth Pure Heart, he'll show up somewhere. Are you familiar with the land of Crag?" Timpani nodded.

"The primitive land that Mario and I visited?" Timpani asked, heading toward the door. Merlon shrugged.

"I suppose so. The next Pure Heart is located there, and that would be your best bet. It should be that light blue door on Flipside tower. Hurry on, Timpani; look for the Pure Heart, look for Blumiere, and be safe!" Merlon called after her after she shut the door.

* * *

"Alright, everyone, fall in. New minion update," Nastasia sighed, adjusting her glasses. "This is Count Bleck. If you haven't heard of him already. Count Bleck, meet O'Chunks, Mimi, and—"

"He knows who they are, Nastasia. Don't worry about it." Dimentio dusted his shirt off casually and sat down imperiously. Though Blumiere was fully shocked that he had found Nastasia serving Dimentio, he couldn't show it, otherwise he'd be found out.

His plan, newly formed and currently in action, was fairly complex. Blumiere had traded himself for a Pure Heart, yes, but he did it with purpose; Dimentio's plot was so difficult to understand, he thought the only way to understand it was to experience it first hand, also known better as spying. The phrase Blumiere had used in French with Timpani was telling her that he would be spying on Dimentio, and he put it in a harsh, tempered voice to prevent suspicion from Dimentio.

The complexity of it was how low he needed to keep; talking as little as possible, showing emotion as little as possible, and keeping alligance for his enemy. Blumiere knew he needed to hurry, though; worlds were in danger as he stood there on his platform.

Blumiere had observed his surroundings, and knew that Dimentio had taken Castle Bleck and changed it to Castle Dimentio; but despite the new name, everything else was the same; blackness, stained glass windows, and platforms in the main room, which was where they were in. But the minions were different as well; O'Chunks and Mimi were standing on separate platforms like last time, but two men with black masks over their faces and black overalls on were on two others. Their hats were green and red, and Blumiere noticed something peculiar about their voices and accents; they were Italian accents, he knew for sure, and he couldn't put his finger on what was so familiar about them…

"Aye, so teh count joined us, did he?!" O'Chunks exclaimed. "That's pretty noble of yeh, count, gettin' away from yer wife like that." Blumiere only nodded; he didn't want to say anything that would give his non-brainwashed voice away.

"So…no hard feelings about that attack back there in that dumb Flipside?" Mimi asked, crossing her arms. Blumiere shook his head.

"Are you even gonna talk?" The man in the green hat asked bluntly. Blumiere scowled at him.

"_Non, mystérieux home en vert._" Blumiere spoke in French, realizing that no one could understand him like this. He grinned evilly as everyone gasped; he had found a way to communicate in a way that no one could understand.

"The King recruited a FRENCH GUY to defeat the one and only Hero?!" Mimi exclaimed. Blumiere shrugged. Dimentio put his hand to his chin and thought.

"Well, well, if Bleck has a feel for his French side, perhaps we should call him Count Fidéle." Dimentio laughed. Mimi groaned.

"Are you KIDDING me?! If I can't understand what he's saying, how can I go along with anything??" Mimi asked.

"_Trop mauvais, fifille._" Blumiere smirked. Mimi glowered.

"You didn't say anything bad about me, did you?"

"_Non. Est-ce que en?_" Blumiere asked. Mimi fumed.

"I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!!" Mimi cried with anger.

"_Trop mauvais, fifille._"

"STOP SAYING THAT!!"

As Mimi hollered and Blumiere replied calmly and humorously, Nastasia began thinking Dimentio's plan through. The next move was to set a minion up for Crag, where the next Pure Heart was. But what minion would be capable of doing so? Staying in one spot was apparently hard for this group of minions, so she needed to pick the right person to stay still until the Hero came.

"Something the matter, Nastasia?" Dimentio asked, noticing Nastasia suddenly get quiet.

"No, no, sir. Not at all." Nastasia answered. "I'm just trying to figure things out. What would be more torturous for the Hero to go through; hurting some brainwashed minion, or hurting an un-brainwashed minion?"

Dimentio laughed. "If you're talking about sending someone to hurt dear Timpani, send Count Fidéle. It'll be fun watching them fight."

"But sir, he doesn't know the rules yet."

"Nastasia, you're such a silly sometimes. Fidéle knows only because he made the rules a while back. Let him do what he needs to do."

"Are you sure?"

"Positively positive."

"Stop worrying; he'll be just fine."

"Okay…"

"Minions, bring it to a halt!" Dimentio clapped his hands together to get the attention he needed. "Ah ha ha...Now, we all know that the Chaos Heart is transferring some of its power into smaller forms as we speak, thus making it more powerful. And we know with more power means more voids collapsing faster!"

Blumiere swallowed and adjusted the collar on his shirt. _So that's how the voids are growing so fast._

"So to narrow our chances of defeat down to about -.000256 percent, we just need someone to go and end the life of the one and only Hero, Timpani."

Blumiere was at full attention now. Listening to that sweet, loyal name of his wife's, it made him homesick already. He didn't want anyone to go after her, because she'd die that way, but if he was assigned, then he'd have to kill her himself…or would he?

"Nastasia and I discussed, and we would like our new recruit to go after her. Count Fidéle, go ahead and get her! Ciao!" Before Blumiere could protest or say anything, he was transported by Dimentio to the land of Crag.

"Mr. L, Mr. M, go get ready, will you?" Dimentio commanded.

"Sure." Mr. L , the man in the green hat answered as Mr. M, the man in the red hat nodded. They jumped off their platforms and hurried out the door as Nastasia and Dimentio went the opposite direction, leaving O'Chunks and Mimi behind.

"Meh, French." Mimi scoffed as she crossed her arms. O'Chunks couldn't help but to laugh, and Mimi stomped her feet. "Make that Europeans in general! You're Scottish and RUDE!"


	20. XX

_OMG! IT'S THE BIG 20!! YAAY! -hands everyone cookies- :D This is exciting! I'm about...I don't know, maybe 3/5 the way done? 20...wow. Definitely the longest story I've ever written in my life! And not even close to finishing it!! I can see this exceeding 30 chapters...coolio. I get to torture people a little while longer...XD_

_Sadly, this is a shorter chapter. Wah. Not what I wanted, but this is a fairly important chapter, nonetheless! Not to mention a cliffhanger, too. XD _

_No, Timpani is not alone for very long. No, Blumiere is not a minion for long. Doesn't suit him. XD In my opinion, anyhow! XD _

_I spent all day on this, so I hope you like it. TAKE A COOKIE ON YOUR WAY OUT:) :) :)_

* * *

**20**

Timpani had been walking for a long while through the warm landscape of Crag, a desert-like area with primitive people living in it, unless you count the televisions, stereos, and radios made out of stone, of course. She felt anxious because Blumiere wasn't there with her, but she still knew what she had to do, and she would do it with all her might, whether Blumiere was with her or not.

Looking up at the sky and shielding what was left of the sun from her eyes, she noticed that a large void was present here, but it was smaller than the one in Flipside. Timpani sighed and felt pressured as she knew that this world's fate was in her hands now.

She was standing before the entrance to the Florosapien Caverns, a mine where gems were abundant, but the Caverns were swarmed with creatures called Florosapiens. These things were basically walking flowers that shot their head at any intruder they felt were a threat, and when their heads were detached, their bodies were still in motion, prancing toward the attacker. It gave chills to Timpani, but she knew she had to be strong in order to save everyone.

"Whoa, brah, you lost?" Someone suddenly said, snapping Timpani out of her thoughts. She jumped at the sound, but regained herself as she saw the friendly figure before her. It was a citizen of Crag that had almost a caveman appearance with light blue skin, but Timpani knew that the Cragnons were friendly enough to outsiders, except the Florosapiens.

"I…er…"

"Where you headed?"

"I'm actually trying to find a Pure Heart here, have you seen one?" Timpani asked. The Cragnon shook his head. "Oh, I see…have you seen a man with a white cape and hat, a staff, and a monocle? Goes by the name of Blumiere?"

"Sorry, brah, Granit see no one like that."

Timpani frowned. "Alright. Thank you, anyway." She started walking off, but Granit jumped up and down.

"Wait, brah!" The Cragnon cried. Timpani stopped and turned around.

"What?!"

"Your ribbon look like something Granit seen before," He explained, pointing to his head. "You…Tippi?" Timpani touched her hair ribbon that Blumiere gave to her, and forced a smile. She curtseyed, showing respect for the Cragnon.

"Yes, I'm Tippi. Sort of, actually; Tippi was my Pixl form, and now that I'm a human, my name is Timpani." Timpani replied. "You actually recognize me?" Granit nodded.

"Yeah, brah! You butterfly that helped Crag! That was craggin' RAD!" Granit recalled. "Hey, Timpani, someone looking for you!" Timpani's eyes widened.

"What?! Who?!"

"Granit don't know, but he new to Crag!" Granit replied. Timpani smiled.

"You've seen him?"

"Other Cragnons tell Granit that he look like jester. He dangerous, say other Cragnons!" Granit warned. Timpani gulped; she knew he was talking about Dimentio. "He was only here for a second, brah, so Granit thinks you okay for now." Timpani sighed with relief.

"Good to hear he left, Granit, thank you for giving me that news," Timpani smiled. Granit leaned over to see where Timpani was headed, and acted a little surprised.

"You going to Florosapien caverns? Careful, brah, Florosapien are everywhere in there!" Granit said. "Caverns are dangerous; no light in there!!" Timpani nodded.

"Yeah, it sounds pretty bad…" Timpani kicked a rock near her foot. "But thank you, Granit, I appreciate the warning. Don't tell this person who's looking for me that I'm here, okay?" Timpani went down the stairs to the Caverns.

"No problem, brah!!" Granit called after her.

Timpani found herself in a pitch black place after climbing down the steps to the Florosapien Caverns. Granit was right; there was no light at all here; she couldn't find a torch or a candle anywhere, which unsettled her quite a bit as she thought of Florosapiens charging at her without her knowing. The news of Dimentio wasn't exactly comforting, either.

But she soon found that with one sense lost, her others became more powerful. She could hear much better now, and it helped a whole lot, considering that the only thing she could see was black. Timpani kept close to the wall, using it as a handrail, almost, and she took small steps to ensure her balance would be kept.

Timpani began to hear voices, almost enraged ones, in the distance of the mine.

"KING ME!"

"Feh! Yeah right!"

Timpani gulped, unsure how she was going to get out of this. Since these people were playing checkers in pitch black darkness, then how could she get by them without being noticed? Timpani took a step closer, heart racing.

"Hey! Who's there?!"

Timpani froze in her tracks. Her heart sank; she knew that she was caught now, and now there was no hope for Crag, Blumiere, Flipside, or anyone else. She shut her eyes, and just as she was about to say her name to surrender, there was a crash, and a sound of a hit of some kind.

"OOF!!"

"Hey, what's the big idea?! ACK!"

The entire cavern shook, and Timpani felt her feet sliding against the floor as a huge wind blew towards the sound of the voices. Timpani cried out, finding nothing to hold onto whatsoever, but it suddenly stopped. There were groans now. Timpani was extremely confused; who had attacked them, and where was this person?

Timpani suddenly felt a hand on her waist, and someone was leaning in on her, feeling her mouth press against someone else's. She waved her arms in the air, having the inability to say anything because of the forced kiss she was being granted, and loosing her balance quickly.

After a few seconds of this, she was let go and set back on her feet.

"Thanks for the kiss, my Lady." Timpani almost knew that whoever kissed her liked it and her a lot, that, and he could see in the dark. Timpani cleared her throat, trying to act like nothing happened.

"I…demand to know who you are!" Timpani clenched her fists, releasing the anxiety of her feelings. "And how do you know my name?!"

"Ah, _sil vous plait, madame, pourqui non reconnaître moi?"_ The person asked sweetly, finding Timpani's hand in the dark and holding it.

"B-Blumiere…?" Timpani asked.

"_Le un et seul, _the one and only," Blumiere answered, tipping his hat and bowing to his wife.


	21. XXI

_Sorry for such a long wait on this...school is stacking up this week; it's the end of the quarter on Thursday! That means I have Friday off! YAY! Finally; I've been waiting forever for a three-day weekend. ;) _

_Woot! 21! YEAAAH! This one is much longer than last time; I've been working on it for days now. :D So I hope you enjoy it; I leave a sort of cliffhanger at the end, but it's nothing too dead serious...;) But I can make it WORSE next time if you WANT me to...XD_

* * *

**21**

"…Um…Dimentio, sir?" Nastasia asked after a long silence. "Fidéle has been gone a long time…don't you think something's wrong?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Dimentio laughed. "Everything's perfect! Fidéle has done what I wanted him to do."

"He…has?"

"Of course. He's a dirty little spy."

"_SPY?!_" Nastasia exclaimed. "A spy! What? Our plans, though! Now they're ruined! He's ruined EVERYTHING! How come you didn't tell me, sir?! I could've kicked him out before you said anything!" Dimentio smirked.

"No, no, he's supposed to know about the Chaos Heart's little friends. Nothing else, though. That's why I made it prominent at our little meeting," Dimentio answered. "Delicious! This is going perfectly amazing…"

"Sir, if you're sure…" Nastasia muttered. Dimentio shrugged.

"Don't be doubtful, Nastasia. We'll win the worlds soon enough." Dimentio winked. "But in the meantime, I should get to checking up on our little Blumiere and Timpani, now that they're reunited peacefully once more. Ciao!"

* * *

"Shall we get some light?" Blumiere tapped his staff onto the ground, and the sapphire on the top of it lit up a brilliant and vivid blue. Timpani threw herself into Blumiere's arms, crying, but not with tears of worry or sadness, but with joy. It was a perfect feeling when Blumiere's warmth was so close to Timpani, and when he stroked through her hair, it made it even better.

"I was so worried you had left me for good, and I thought I'd never see you again…" Timpani's eyes filled with tears as she hugged Blumiere tighter.

"I suppose a French lesson is in order, then; I told you that I was going to be right back and I'd be spying on Dimentio," Blumiere laughed. "I forgot you didn't understand."

"You sounded so angry at me, though," Timpani replied, puzzled. Blumiere smirked.

"An act, _mon cheri_."

"And all this time I thought you were mad at me…" Timpani trailed off. Blumiere chuckled at this comment, and closed his eyes as he held Timpani in his arms, savoring the romantic moment.

"Of course not, why would I be mad at a lovely girl like you?" Blumiere asked quietly. He suddenly remembered why he was here, and he shook his head. "Do you mind if we…" Timpani realized what he was talking about, and let the count go, blushing.

"Yes, go ahead and tell me what you found out," Timpani cleared her throat. Blumiere took her hand and began to make their way through the cavern, his staff glowing.

"Dimentio is apparently doing something with false Pure Hearts as a backup to the Chaos Heart. They're making the Chaos Heart stronger, and that's how the voids are growing so fast." Blumiere explained. "So to sum it all up in five words: we need to move faster."

"So do we have to look out for these other things, or what?" Timpani asked. Blumiere sighed.

"I really have no idea. My guess is that Dimentio's keeping a pretty good hold of them, only because he's the crafty villain I've come to know," Blumiere frowned. "But we should worry about that later; do you know where we are in this place and where we should find a Pure Heart?"

Timpani looked down. "I think King Croacus has it…"

"King who?"

"Croacus. He's the king of the Florosapiens, and he recently changed into a nice, thoughtful king, but since everyone seems to be brainwashed, he'll probably have that Pure Heart and won't want to give it up at all." Timpani replied. Blumiere looked at her with a puzzled look. "He's obsessed with jewels, glowing things, anything pretty, beautiful, or dazzling."

"I hope no one will hit on you anymore, it's getting quite annoying." Blumiere growled.

"Let me clarify; he's obsessed with any inanimate objects that are pretty, beautiful, or dazzling." Timpani blushed. "…You think I'm beautiful?"

"Well, who wouldn't?"

"…Really?"

"Other than your personality and thoughts, why else would I have married you?" Blumiere winked. Timpani smiled.

"You're sweet, Blumiere."

"Why, thank you." Blumiere responded with a smile. He suddenly cried out, and the bright light was gone. Timpani gasped.

"Blumiere! What happened? Where are you?!" Timpani knelt down on the ground, searching for her husband. Rocks shifted, and she could hear Blumiere grunting as he climbed up from a gap, the light following him.

"…It would help if there were more lights in here…" Blumiere scowled. "A sudden gap in this cursed pathway…how anticlimactic…" Timpani giggled as he mumbled this.

"…What?"

"You're hilarious, Blumiere!"

"And that word is…?"

"…Humorous."

"There." Blumiere set his staff against the wall next to him and held out his hands. "Jump towards me, and I'll catch you." Timpani frowned.

"Are you joking?! I'll kill myself! I can't jump, that's the reason I failed my physical education class back before I met you!!" Timpani exclaimed. Blumiere sighed, rolled his eyes, and took his staff in one hand, still holding out the other towards Timpani.

"Just jump towards me, and I'll take it from there."

"Blumiere! No way!" Timpani refused. "I'll fall!"

"No you won't, just jump!" Blumiere assured. Timpani moaned a little, backed up, and then leaped toward her husband, yelling out with fear as she began to fall to a dark space below her. Blumiere cast a void behind him, and there was a huge gust of wind blowing towards it, bringing Timpani across the large gap and into Blumiere's arms. He brought down his staff, and the void closed.

"Lucky for me, I married a clever person," Timpani sighed, heart racing. Blumiere laughed.

"Doesn't take much for me to pull out my cleverness." Blumiere winked. Timpani and Blumiere continued walking on through the dark cavern.

"I've been meaning to ask, Blumiere, how can you create voids when the Chaos Heart isn't present or with you?" Timpani asked curiously. Blumiere groaned.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," Blumiere responded. "Well, you see, once granted powers from the Chaos Heart, it basically sticks with you until you give them up or until your game ends. There's much more to it, but I hate to confuse you."

Timpani smiled. "It doesn't take much for me to pull out my simplicity." Blumiere laughed.

"Yet another reason why I married you," Blumiere put his hand on her waist. Suddenly entering a long, admiring gaze at each other, and they both hit a wall that seemed to come out of no where. Both backed up, rubbing their heads, moaning in defeat.

"Where did THAT come from?!" Timpani growled. Blumiere looked up and saw light shining down on them.

"Up there, Timpani," Blumiere pointed upwards. "Grab onto me, and we'll get up there in no time." Timpani did as she was told, and Blumiere jumped towards the light above them, and began to fly upwards. As they landed, Timpani began to remember where they were.

Several paintings were hung of flower-like creatures, apparently royalty of some kind, and golden statues were placed almost every inch between these paintings. There was a large blue door before them, indicating some significance to the couple.

"I'm guessing this must be Croacus's palace," Blumiere assumed. "How'd we end up here so fast? And no security…"

"That's what I was thinking about; when I was traveling with Mario, we had to journey a long time before we came to this place…" Timpani trailed off. "But everything looks the same. If there's no security, then I say we should go along with it and head in."

"After you, love." Blumiere opened the large doors and held it open for Timpani to walk through. As he followed her in, they both noticed something was amiss; Florosapiens were scattered across the floor, and Croacus was in the middle of the floor, motionless. Blumiere and Timpani gasped at the scene.

"Wh-what happened?!" Timpani backed up into Blumiere by accident, too startled to notice where she was going. "Everyone's…!!"

"Unconscious, but not dead." Blumiere said. "Believe me, if they were dead, there would've been evidence of a murder...Let's not go into that..." They suddenly heard clapping and cheers and looked up, only to see it was their archrival, Dimentio.

"Bravo! Bravo! Encore! Encore!!" Dimentio exclaimed. "You two are fitting for this job, that's for sure!" Timpani and Blumiere scowled.

"What did you do to these Florosapiens? And King Croacus?" Timpani demanded.

"Ah ha ha ha! Just a little magic is all it takes for flowers to come tumbling down," Dimentio teased. "Good to see you're healthy, Timpani. I thought you'd be committing suicide without your lovely French husband to love."

"I told her about the Chaos Heart's power, Dimentio, and now your secret is out! We'll never let you destroy these worlds now that we're together!" Blumiere remarked, staff in hand. Dimentio snickered.

"You thought I didn't know you were a little snitch? Ha! Blumiere, you're a true progeny of wit!" Dimentio scoffed.

"You…knew I was spying on you?"

"Yes, I did! I wanted you to do that, and I knew that you acted for dear Timpani so I 'wouldn't suspect'. I have my ways of making things more fun," Dimentio crossed his arms. "But now, for some more fun, eh? Mr. L, Mr. M, take it away!"

"Mr. M…?" Timpani and Blumiere asked at the same time. They knew who Mr. L was: a brainwashed Luigi who served Count Bleck. But Mr. M was a mystery…

Two men with black overalls and masks on fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground in front of Timpani and Blumiere. They both had mustaches, and their hats were vaguely familiar; green and red.

"These two strong minions will have an entertaining time playing with you, so with that, Ciao!!" Dimentio disappeared, and left Timpani and Blumiere to decide what to do in the tricky situation right then. They could only back up as far as they could without hitting the wall.

"Now, please, you two, don't do anything too idiotic…" Timpani trailed off. "We don't want trouble…!"

"But we do!" Mr. L chuckled. Blumiere scowled.

"And if you want trouble, then don't hesitate to come to us for it!!" Blumiere challenged. Timpani gulped as he said this, feeling a sudden tense sensation.

"You're on!!" Mr. L cried.


	22. XXII

_I'm here, I'm here! XD;; Oops. I hope you guys didn't think I died or anything..._

_Today is FRIDAY! And I have the day OFF! So WHOO-HOO! I hope I can get chapters up like fire over the weekend. _

_This is a short chapter. I am sorry for that; I'm too lazy to add things onto it, but up next is SAMMER'S KINGDOM!! ...Or at least, very soon. __**For those of you who have beaten Super Paper Mario and **__**all Sammer guys**__**, please make it a point sometime very soon to go into Sammer's Kingdom and talk to Sammer and remember what he says...;D**_

_**literaldramaqueen**__ has asked me to translate for the French sayings Blumiere says in the chapter for her. __If you would like me to translate things for you as well, please let me know so I can include it in my review replies! THANKS!_

_So, without further adieu (FRENCH LOL!), a short chapter 22 awaits!_

* * *

**22**

Mr. L took no hesitation and jumped on the ground, and suddenly Blumiere and Timpani felt a tremor. As the ground shook, a crack grew along the tiled floor, headed straight for Blumiere, who simply protected himself by moving out of the way. Mr. M began to charge toward Timpani, who yelped and began running away from him.

"AAAGH! GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Timpani cried, picking up her dress a little bit to run faster. She suddenly tripped and fell on the ground. Hearing Mr. M sprint towards her, she put her hands over her head in fear of getting hurt.

She waited, but nothing had occurred to her. She looked up and gasped; something was keeping from Mr. M to attack her, almost like a force field. She looked over at Blumiere, who was pushing up against Mr. L and holding his staff out to her; he was shielding her with a force field.

"Thank you, Blumiere!!"

"_Ne pas ennui_…!" Blumiere answered, still fighting Mr. L off. "Get off of me!!"

"No, you get off of me!" Mr. L growled, pushing with equal strength. Blumiere made sure Timpani was safe enough, and he took back his staff to shove Mr. L in the stomach. Mr. L backed away, scowling.

"Come on, bro!" Mr. L called. Mr. M ran to his side, as did Timpani to Blumiere.

"'Bro'…?!" Blumiere exclaimed. "You two aren't…are you?!"

"MR. L AND M POWER UP!!" Mr. L cried, holding his hand up in the air with Mr. M. There was a huge flash of light, but when the light disappeared, nothing had happened.

"…What are you doing?" Timpani asked, now unafraid of the two.

"Did it work?" Mr. L opened one eye to see what had happened.

"…Whatever you're talking about, it doesn't seem like it worked…" Blumiere narrowed his eyes. Mr. L and Mr. M blinked. There was a long pause.

"If you don't want to fight, then—" Timpani started.

"NO! NO! We can do this, just wait!" Mr. L interrupted. "Let's try this again: MR. L AND M POWER UP!!" This time, there was a puff of smoke, but once again, after the smoke cleared, nothing had changed. Growing annoyed with how long this was taking, Blumiere tapped his staff twice on the ground, causing a small, dark void to appear over Mr. L and Mr. M, and they were instantly sucked in.

"This is getting so terribly annoying…" Blumiere thrust his staff downward, closing the void, and Mr. L and Mr. M fell to the ground, unconscious. Timpani approached them cautiously, seeing a bright glow near Mr. L. Timpani reached for the glow, finding a dark blue Pure Heart, and she grabbed it. She put it in her pocket triumphantly.

"The sixth Pure Heart, finally," Timpani smiled. Blumiere smiled as well when he went to her side to look at it.

"It took forever to get it, but I think everything paid off well." Blumiere agreed. "Ready to go?" Timpani frowned and looked down at the masked men. She knew who Mr. L was, but Mr. M was an unknown enemy.

"I feel so bad for Luigi…he's always so nice and everything, but once he's brainwashed, he's a totally different person." Timpani pulled off Mr. L's mask. She looked over at Mr. M, confused. "Did he say that he and Mr. M were…brothers?"

"Only one way to find out," Blumiere undid Mr. M's mask and both gasped.

"It's—!!"

"_Sacrè bleu…_" Blumiere whispered. "We've been fighting Mario this whole time…" Timpani's eyes filled with tears.

"Do you think we hurt them…?" Timpani asked. "Because they can't really be dead…" Blumiere swallowed.

"I really don't…" Blumiere started, but as he saw what Dimentio had done to the Florosapiens and King Croacus, he glowered. "_Juron lui tout!! _Dimentio's such an idiotic villain! Taking our one shot of saving all worlds and killing it so vastly with a simple snap of his fingers! Since we're the only ones left, he decides to use our once-allies against us. For all we know, Mario and Luigi could be very well dead!!"

"Blumiere, please…Mario and Luigi can't really die, can they?" Timpani thought aloud.

"Anyone can die, Timpani, even with a small void like that," Blumiere sighed, frowning. "Everyone except the caster could die."

"What do you mean?"

"The person who casts the void in the sky won't die; it's sort of like a pet-and-master concept." Blumiere explained. "But everything around it…that's a different story. When I cast all those voids in the sky before, I told you to hold onto something so you wouldn't get harmed."

"…What do we do with Mario and Luigi?" Timpani asked quietly. Blumiere looked down at them.

"_Potir les, _leave them, Timpani," Blumiere sighed. "We can't do anything else; we have worlds to save." Timpani frowned.

"But we can't just leave them; they're our…" Timpani started. She stopped herself, though; no matter how much she admired their friendship to her, they were now evil villains with Dimentio, and she couldn't deny that. "It just doesn't feel right, I guess."

"We'll get them back later, _mon ange chèri._" Blumiere took Timpani's hand and held it tightly. "_Je promesse_."

"Let's go back, then," Timpani agreed hesitantly. They hugged each other and transported out of Croacus's kingdom and back to Flipside, distracted by Mr. M and Mr. L's true identities, and whether they brought harm or death to them or not.


	23. XXIII

_...It's raining. -shot- No, really, it is! It's been raining all morning, and it's quite annoying, actually. Not your typical shower kind of rain; loud thunder, heavy rain, and hail kind of rain. Neh. Whatever. It stopped now._

_(One of my deviantART friends is actually reading this. HI, LORDBLUMIERE!! HI!! HIII! -shot-)_

_The next two chapters might seem...short. I'm sorry about that, but once Sammer's Kingdom gets finished, I think everything will be longer. :) But boy, do I have a surprise for you in 25...mwhahaha...!!_

_Dang, it's starting back up again. Rawr. Ah well. Enjoy please, and R&R! _

* * *

**23**

Upon appearing on the huge white tower in Flipside, Timpani and Blumiere saw Merlon apparently waiting for the two. They felt unsettled at Merlon's distressed look, but walked over to the wizard nevertheless.

"Merlon, why are you up here?" Timpani asked. Merlon frowned.

"I feel that the end of Flipside is near, Heroes," Merlon explained. "The void has grown twice its size since you left, and the tremors are even harder than before." Merlon looked at the two, who were looking at the ground sadly.

"Timpani, Blumiere, what happened? You are finally back together again, aren't you?" Merlon asked. Blumiere cleared his throat.

"We've discovered something…unsettling, Merlon," Blumiere responded. "We encountered Mr. L and Mr. M, fought them, and figured out that they are really Luigi and Mario. We…don't know if they are…" Blumiere looked at Timpani's cheerless face, and continued, "…_viviant ou pas_." Merlon frowned, understanding what Blumiere had said; 'alive or not'.

"I see. So you two are distressed as well," Merlon said. Blumiere nodded. "I'm quite unsure of what to do at this point…"

"You don't have to do anything, Merlon. We do, though," Blumiere replied. "All we need are two more Pure Hearts and we'll be ready to save all the worlds. The next one would be…?"

"Sammer's Kingdom, that blue door right there," Timpani interrupted, pointing to the door near them. "But the only setback that could interfere with us is that we would have to fight past all those Sammer Guys."

"How many are we talking here?"

"…One hundred…"

"'One hundred'?!" Blumiere exclaimed. "We can't get by them in the limited time we have!"

"You'll have to find some way to, though; it's that or our dear Flipside plummets to the Underwhere." Merlon said. Though feeling unsure of how to make it through, Timpani and Blumiere shrugged and went to the dark blue door and opened it.

"Merlon, we'll be back as soon as we can, don't worry!" Timpani called while going through the door. As the door came to a shut, Merlon sighed.

"Dimentio has more tricks up his sleeve than I thought; he targets Flipside first, and Timpani and Blumiere will have no where to go." Merlon told himself. "I do hope they hurry up…"

* * *

"OW!"

"Sorry, I can't see anything,"

"No, no, it's alright, I'm a klutzy girl, anyhow…"

The two stumbled in the dark as fast and as carefully as possible so they could get the seventh Pure Heart and have a better chance at saving Flipside. They knew the consequence of failing to save Flipside; they would have nowhere to go and would be stuck in a dimension for the rest of their lives.

"So these Sammer Guys…how bad are they?" Blumiere asked.

"Depends on how advanced they are." Timpani said. "Some are powerful and huge, some are weak and small. Some are in between…"

"Ugh, that's just great…" Blumiere mumbled. There was a pause, but Blumiere broke it before it lasted too long. "Timpani, I know times are getting really tough right now, and I know you can't see me, either, but you do know I still love you, right?"

"Yeah," Timpani replied. "What made you think that I didn't think you loved me?"

"Because I haven't said it in a long time…"

"I…see…"

Blumiere suddenly felt someone embrace him hard, and he recognized it to be Timpani. "What is it?"

"I love you,"

"I love you, too," Blumiere hugged Timpani back. "More than anything, for sure, and I'll make sure nothing stands in the way of that." The two moved on through the dark hallway silently, holding hands. Timpani felt right with Blumiere, only because their strong bond with each other was always undying, no matter what.

The two stepped into the sun-filled Japanese kingdom of King Sammer, but they both were splashed with something extremely cold. Both froze in their tracks, completely overwhelmed by what had just happened.

A little Sammer Guy ran up to them. "Hewo! And welcome to Sammah's Waterpark! How can I serve wu today?!"

"'Waterpark'? Where's Sammer's Kingdom?" Timpani asked, drying her hair off. Blumiere started to wring out his cape.

"King Sammah changed it to a waterpark! Remodeling…"

Blumiere groaned. "'Remodeling'? Sammer _remodeled_ his own kingdom?! Why would he want to do that?!" The Sammer Guy narrowed his eyes, jumped up to Blumiere's level, and hit him. "OW! What is your problem, tiny?!"

"Do not question da King!" The Sammer Guy scolded. "For dat, you get another, bigger bucket of water splashed on YOU!" There was an enormous amount of freezing water poured on top of the couple.

"C-C-COOOOLD!" Timpani shrieked, now shivering. Blumiere began to wring out his cape again, infuriated.

"And the first splash of water was for…?" Blumiere glowered.

"You're our first customers!" More water was poured onto the couple, and Blumiere growled. Timpani just shook. Blumiere gave up on trying getting dry, expecting more water coming for them, anyway.

"QUIT DOING THAT!!" Blumiere said. _It's no wonder why we're their first customers... _He thought. Timpani began to dry her hair off a little bit. "We need to see King Sammer immediately! It's about the Pure Heart he has."

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!" The small Sammer Guy laughed a hi-pitched laugh that almost destroyed the ears of the Heroes. "No one sees King Sammer until they have five buckets of water tossed on them!"

"WHAT?!" Timpani and Blumiere froze as five buckets of water was splashed on them. After this, the count and Lady were dripping wet, shivering violently, and outraged by the treatment they were receiving. Blumiere was so close to strangling the Sammer Guy, it wasn't even funny.

"Lez go." The little Sammer Guy said walking to a carriage, but it didn't have anything to pull it. Blumiere and Timpani walked to it, but stopped.

"Who's going to pull it…?" Timpani asked cautiously.

"I am! Do not be intimidated by my size, I can carry LOADS!" The Sammer Guy exclaimed, getting ready to pick the carriage up. "Get on!"

Blumiere sighed and got on, but before Timpani could step on, the carriage began moving quite fast. Luckily, Blumiere caught Timpani's hand just in time, and he pulled his wife into his arms, safe from any harm. Timpani took a deep breath of relief and slumped in the seat.

"I really hope we don't run into any other buckets of wa—" Timpani started, but there was a sudden spray of cold water that hit both of them. Blumiere narrowed his eyes.

"This place is absolutely, positively stupid."

"You can say that again," Timpani crossed her arms.

"And I'll say it in French: _ce endriot est définitivement, positivement stupide._"


	24. XXIV

_I update quick, no? XD _

_Yes. It's a shortER chapter, but not the shortEST. / Does that count? XD I'll promise to make the next one quite as long as I can...about 1, 500 words maybe:) What a treat for you...or will it be? Hahaha, you'll find out for yourself..._

_I know I will be getting "OMG WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! THAT WAS WEEEEEAK!!" comments from some of you, but believe me, there is a method to my madness...or Dimentio's "madness", actually. R-E-L-A-X. Everything will be explained later! _

_Ahhh! A chapter before my most suspensful one YET!! Enjoy while you can...;)_

* * *

**24**

After a long ride in the carriage, and Timpani nearly falling asleep, they finally arrived at Sammer's enormous palace. It was surrounded by a shallow creek with vast mountains behind it, but to Timpani and Blumiere's surprise, no one was guarding the entrance.

The Sammer Guy, however, paid no heed to the lack of guards; he was panting heavily. "Okay…you…off…NOW!" The carriage suddenly tipped over, throwing Timpani and Blumiere off, and the Sammer Guy dashed off, leaving the two on the ground.

But Timpani couldn't get up for some reason. When she opened her eyes, Blumiere was on top of her, and she blushed. Blumiere blinked, blushed, and got off of her.

"Erm…shall we get going?" Blumiere asked. Timpani cleared her throat and got up.

"Y-yeah…" Timpani replied. They walked across the bridge over the creek and stood at the large, black doors of the Kingdom. Blumiere frowned.

"Why is it that every time we need to open a castle, there aren't any guards?" Blumiere asked, knocking the door. Timpani shrugged.

"Good question; but I have to say, I really don't know," Timpani replied. "Maybe Dimentio captured them…" Blumiere looked up at the sky.

"Speaking of Dimentio, it looks like he hasn't cast a void here yet…" Blumiere trailed off. "I can't tell if I should be happy for that or disturbed; if Dimentio isn't here, then he'll be here soon…"

"But maybe he is!" Timpani suddenly exclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember what he said? When Dimentio is present in a dimension, that void is paused, per say, so it won't destroy Dimentio with that world," Timpani explained. Blumiere frowned.

"So he could be here?"

"Maybe, but let's hope not."

Before Blumiere could say anything else, the door opened, revealing a large Sammer Guy. Timpani's eyes widened and she hid behind Blumiere.

"Are you here for King Sammer? He's been expecting you for…an hour." The Sammer Guy said, allowing Timpani and Blumiere to go inside the castle. The front room was absolutely huge; it was tiled with black slate and the walls were filled with ancient Samurai swords. To the side, there were small tables that had cups and plates on them. Both were amazed at the sight.

"Heroes! Finally!" A short man came running down the hall towards Timpani and Blumiere. He had a red cape, a crown for a head, and a mustache. "Thank goodness you have come! That evil Dimentio has been sighted in this world, and I hear he seeks the Pure Heart!"

"King Sammer, can you give us the Pure Heart? We need to hurry up; a town called Flipside is in danger, and it's important that we save it!" Timpani exclaimed. King Sammer nodded.

"Of course; it's in that room over there." King Sammer pointed to the room down the hall. Timpani and Blumiere went to the door that Sammer was gesturing to, but Blumiere was unsure.

"Is Sammer this mysterious all the time?" Blumiere whispered. Timpani frowned.

"No, but we have to go for it anyway," Timpani said. "Flipside is in trouble!" Blumiere opened the door carefully, but they were thrown back as soon as it came half way open. As they hit the ground, Timpani looked up.

"What the heck was that?!" Timpani asked. Blumiere scowled.

"We've been tricked…" Blumiere mumbled. King Sammer ran down the hall.

"Heroes! What happened?!" Sammer exclaimed.

"What did you do that for?! You could've killed us!" Timpani cried. Sammer paused and shook his head, confused.

"Wh-what?" Sammer stammered. "What are you talking about?!"

King Sammer came down the hallway and gasped.

"What are YOU doing here?!" King Sammer exclaimed. "Who are you?! Wait, are you me?!"

"ACK! AN IMPOSTER!! GUARDS, COME QUICK!!" The Sammer on the left cried. Timpani and Blumiere exchanged looks. There were clearly two King Sammers, and one was an imposter, but the question was, who?

"What's happening here?" Timpani asked.

"Listen to me, Heroes, he's the imposter! He locked me up in my room, but I managed to escape! Stop him!" The Sammer on the left said. The Sammer on the right growled.

"Are you kidding me?! _He's_ the imposter!" The Sammer on the right stomped the ground. The two Sammers began to yell at each other, and soon broke out in a slapping fight. Blumiere groaned and cursed under his breath.

"This is ridiculous…" Blumiere muttered. He sighed, took in a large breath, and shouted as loud as he could, "_ARRÊTER MAINTENANT, TOUS DEUX D'ENTRE TU!!" _The whole room fell silent instantly; even Timpani was caught by surprise when Blumiere shouted. The two Sammers looked at Blumiere.

"Now that I have your attention, there's only one way to solve a problem like this—" Blumiere took Timpani's hand and put her in front of him. "So, if you really have the Pure Heart, would you trade it for Lady Timpani Fidéle?"

Timpani gasped. "WHAT?!" She looked up at Blumiere, who winked at her.

The Sammer on the right tapped his foot and shifted his eyes, but he began to smirk. "…Well…"

The Sammer on the left shook his head. "No, that's just stupid, trading your wife for a Pure Heart! I may be a king, but I'm no greedy king…!" Blumiere smirked, and he shoved the Sammer on the right into the wall.

"Nice try, Dimentio," Blumiere said, knowing Dimentio's love for deals and trades. The Sammer rubbed his head and laughed.

"Ah ha ha ha!" He snickered. "Clever, very clever!" In a puff of smoke, the Sammer changed to Dimentio. "I have to thank Mimi for a little of her powers; without them, I would've never gotten a hold of the Pure Heart!"

Timpani gasped. "You have the Pure Heart?!"

"Ah ha ha…of course, my sweet Timpani!" Dimentio winked. "Who else would? But hey, since you're in a rush, then I'll take it easy on you for now, and I'll hand it over." Blumiere glowered.

"I don't believe you!" Blumiere argued. "You wouldn't even think of handing over a Pure Heart to us!!"

"If you say so. I have the joy of this later, anyway…" Dimentio began to walk off, but Timpani stepped forward.

"Dimentio, wait!" Timpani said.

"Yes?"

"Let me see it…" Timpani said. Dimentio took out the purple Pure Heart and handed it to her. Its radiance was just like a Pure Heart, and it had no traces of black in it at all. Blumiere went to Timpani's side and peered down at it.

"Oh, you've got to be joking," Blumiere remarked. "This is too easy for you and us, Dimentio."

"It's real as real can be, I promise." Dimentio crossed his heart. "Want to take it for free?"

"…Blumiere…?" Timpani looked at her husband, who sighed.

"We'll…take it."

Dimentio bowed. "All in a day's work, my friends! And…I'll see you…well, I don't know when, or if, for that matter. Ciao!" Dimentio left the scene, and Timpani and Blumiere looked at King Sammer.

"Nice to see you two happy; I need to go protect my waterpark now," Sammer ran off and out the door. "Ta-ta!"

Blumiere and Timpani sighed as they disappeared back to Flipside. Their only hope was that Flipside was still intact still…


	25. XXV

_-Winks- 1,570 words exactly! How about that?! A treat for all of you for sticking with me for so long!! _

_**25TH CHAPTER!! WHOO!!**__ Exciting and happy, huh?_

_...Or IS it...? You'll see why in here; the part I've been wanting to write FOREVER. But here's the downside:_

_**There are several killings in this chapter. I'm warning you now; it's not gory or anything, but there are killings of main characters in this one. D: **_

_But I hope you will enjoy chapter 25; I worked hard on this yesterday! And on that note, I bid you farewell..._

* * *

**25**

To their luck, Timpani and Blumiere appeared on the tower of Flipside, but the void was unbelievably large now; almost the size of the entire town. Timpani's heart skipped a beat at the sight of it; she knew that they were on a huge time crunch now, and she was frightened that they wouldn't make it at all.

"Oh gosh, Blumiere…!" Timpani swallowed. "This is horrible! The void is huge!!"

"Should we talk to Merlon or not?" Blumiere asked as quickly as he could. "I mean, talking would waste precious time, but if we leave him there, then he wouldn't know if we made it to the next door!"

"Oh, I don't know!!" Timpani felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach now. "Yes…no…yes…no…gah, I don't know, Blumiere!!"

"If we try to decide here, we'll be destroyed, so let's just go as fast as possible—Merlon!!" Blumiere suddenly saw Merlon briskly walking toward the two, in an urgent fashion with anxiety written all over his face.

"Heroes, you must hurry!" Merlon exclaimed. "Flipside is almost out of time; if you dawdle here any longer, you'll be killed by the void!"

"But Merlon, are you sure we'll have enough time?!" Timpani asked.

"I don't know, but it's no use staying here. Go on through the next door before it's too late!" Merlon frowned. Timpani was about to say something, but Blumiere tugged at the seventh purple door and cursed as it wouldn't open before she could say it.

"It's stuck!" Blumiere shouted.

"What?! It can't be stuck!!" Timpani ran over to the door and pulled at it with all her might. "N-no way! What'll we do?!"

"Use the Pure Hearts; maybe if you teleport to the next world…" Merlon suggested. Timpani reached for the purple Pure Heart they had just received, but she stopped.

"But, Merlon, the next world is—"

"There isn't time, Timpani, just take it out and teleport us there!" Blumiere interrupted. Timpani almost took it out fully from her pocket, but there was a strange laugh that startled her. Dimentio was now hovering in the air, smirking down at the three of them.

"It's no use, silly Timpani!" Dimentio laughed. "Flipside is doomed! That's the reason why I gave you the seventh Pure Heart for free in the first place; I knew you couldn't stop me, and I just wanted to see you try so hard but end with failure!!" Blumiere glowered, Merlon gulped, and Timpani gasped.

"Are you saying we have no time left?!" Timpani asked.

"Just mere minutes away from destruction!! It'll be a show you can't and won't miss, for sure." Dimentio winked. "Say your prayers, Heroes, because you're earning a one-way ticket to the Underwhere, and you'll never come back!! Ciao!!" Dimentio disappeared, leaving a depressing tone on the three. A strong, continuous tremor began to shake the entire city of Flipside, frightening all who were living there.

"There has to be a way out of here! We can't let anyone die!" Timpani attempted to open the surrounding doors, but they were all sealed. Blumiere grabbed Timpani's arm and held her close.

"Timpani, just stay close to me!" Blumiere cried over the rumbling. "Merlon, what should we do?! We can't just stay here, what about the citizens?! What about you?! What about US?!"

"We can't do anything, I'm afraid! There isn't anywhere to go; no dimension to escape to!!" Merlon cried. "Be brave, both of you; face your fate with a determination!!" Two bright flashes filled the sky, and Blumiere and Timpani cried out.

"NO!!" Timpani shouted, her eyes filling with tears. "NOT YET!!" The tremor was getting even stronger, even though it seemed like it couldn't get any more. Blumiere knelt down, hugging Timpani as tightly as he could without suffocating her.

"Timpani, I love you! Don't ever forget that!"

"I love you, too, Blumiere!!" Timpani cried. There was another bright flash and things started to crash. Flipside was collapsing as the void engulfed the entire city, and everyone instantly blacked out.

* * *

_Ugh…ow…what hit me…? _Blumiere thought. He groaned, gripped something in his hand, and opened his eyes. He saw his staff in his hand, but when he looked around, he saw no Timpani. Gasping, he stood up.

"Timpani?! Timpani!! Where are you?!" Blumiere shouted. He became aware of his surroundings; he was near a fountain with orange liquid in it, and the place was dark, haunting, and forest-like. Merlon was next to him, eyes closed, as were the other citizens of Flipside. Blumiere's heart raced. _Dang, where am I…_

"Hey, newcomer!" Someone greeted. Blumiere jumped at the sound of the voice. The person who spoke was made up of black squares and had white circles for eyes. "What's your name?"

"Er…Blumiere…" Blumiere stammered. "Who, might I ask, are you?"

"My name's Sotto Terra, Sotto for short. I'm eleven and a half. How do ya do?" Sotto introduced. Blumiere paused.

"…Fine…?" Blumiere said. Sotto gasped.

"Whoa, you don't look so good." Sotto said.

"What?" Blumiere asked.

"Your hand…"

Blumiere looked down at his white glove; it was now covered with blood. Blumiere waited for a sharp pain to suggest itself, but he felt nothing. For some reason, couldn't feel anything, but it looked quite painful. He touched the wounded area, and it indeed was coming from him; he didn't get it from anyone else.

"Why can't I feel anything?" Blumiere asked himself aloud. Sotto frowned.

"Here, put your hand in the fountain, maybe that'll help." Sotto pulled Blumiere's hand toward the fountain with the orange liquid in it. He watched as his stained glove submerged under the water, and the blood slowly faded away. He took his hand back out of the liquid.

"Whoa." Blumiere said, smiling with relief. "That's…peculiar."

"Isn't it, though? Oh, the joys of being in the Underwhere." Sotto laughed. Blumiere smiled, but shook his head.

"Wait, what did you just say?!" Blumiere asked.

"I said, 'oh, the joys of being in the Underwhere'! You can't feel any pain down here, and you can heal yourself down here, too! Why?" Sotto said a little louder. Blumiere gasped.

"The…Underwhere?! _Sacré bleu, _I'm…" Blumiere leaned up against a tree, gasping for breath.

"…Dead." Sotto finished timidly. Blumiere fanned himself, panting.

"Oh, Lord…Sotto, _secourir, s'il vout plaît_…_je_…_peux ne pas_……_respirer_…" Blumiere collapsed on the moist, hard ground. Sotto ran over to unconscious-Blumiere's side.

"Oops. Didn't mean to scare you…" Sotto swallowed. He sat down next to Blumiere to wait for him to regain conscience. "Ugh, third time this week…" And so, Sotto waited minutes upon minutes for Blumiere to wake up, but Blumiere remained unresponsive for longer than that.

* * *

"_Hey, Blumiere…wake up, please!"_ The words seemed to be blended in with each other, and they were very faint. _"Come on, mister!! Don't—wait, you already are…um…well…awkwardness…"_

Something felt cold on Blumiere's body, and it kept getting colder and colder. He suddenly got the cold substance on his face, and he sat up, coughing. Water was dripping from every point on his body, but he noticed that his position had adjusted from being flat on the ground to more

"Oh, finally you're awake!!" Sotto exclaimed. "Sorry for scaring you, there. But hey, you speak French! That's awesome!"

"_Merci…_" Blumiere thanked. "It's not your fault; I scared myself. For some reason, my languages switched on me before I passed out. Sorry that I didn't speak a language you could understand. I said that I couldn't breathe and needed help. But how did you know it was French?"

"'_S'il vout plaît _gives it away." Sotto smiled. "But now that we got the 'death' shock outta the way, how'd you get down here?"

"My wife and I were in a dimension that was destroyed by a void…" Blumiere frowned. "I couldn't make it in time, and we still need to stop Dimentio from destroying every world out there."

"Your wife? Ouch, that sounds harsh. I'm sorry that happened to you. Where is she?"

"I don't know…" Blumiere trailed off.

"Maybe she's in the Overthere. Has she sinned a lot?" Sotto asked. Blumiere shook his head. "Then she probably is there."

"Hold it, did you ask me if she sinned a lot?!" Blumiere questioned. Sotto nodded. "Are you saying that I sinned a lot?!"

"You look a little like Count Bleck…" Sotto noticed. Blumiere fell silent, remembering his life as Count Bleck with the Dark Prognosticus, all those worlds he nearly destroyed. Blumiere frowned.

"So there isn't any hope for me?" Blumiere asked.

"Psh, of course there is! Since your wife had a life with little or no sins at all, she went straight to the Overthere. But if you explain yourself to Queen Jaydes, you could go over to the Overthere and find your wife!" Sotto explained.

"So, why are you here, then? I mean, you're so kind and loyal…" Blumiere asked.

"I got here about a week ago; my house caught on fire and my parents thought I was already outside. I haven't been able to make an appointment with Jaydes yet. We can make one together, though! Whaddya say?" Sotto smirked. Blumiere smiled.

"Oh, sure, why not." Blumiere got up slowly, leaning on his staff for temporary support, then letting go of it and walking with Sotto. Sotto hugged Blumiere and laughed.

"So, who were your parents?" Sotto asked. "Where did you grow up? When were you born?"

Blumiere laughed as Sotto shot off questions. "Well, you see, I was born on November 27, 1974. My mother's name was Taire, and my father's name was Noir…" Blumiere explained as they slowly approached Queen Jaydes's castle.

* * *

_Yes! Blumiere is 'dead'. Merlon is 'dead'. The citizens of Flipside are 'dead'. But is Timpani 'dead'? _

_Something I wanted to clear up before you all hit that review button down there:_

_-Yes, Blumiere is about 33 in this story. :) Seemed like a suitable age. _

_-'Taire' means silent or quiet in French, and obviously, 'Noir' means black in French. We don't know if Blumiere has a mother, and we don't know what his parents' names were, so I made them up. If or when I get around to posting a story about little seven-year-old Blumiere, everything will be explained in there. ;) Keep an eye out for it._

_**-Twilight Being92**__ asked me what translator I use; he tried a phrase in Google, and it came out quite inaccurate. ("Mon ange cheri" translated into "My angel MacKenzie". Eh?!) Ask me what I use; for some reason, won't let me put the website up on here. o.O_

_Until next time!!_


	26. XXVI

_-Is sitting at the computer, silent and motionless, and cardboard me falls over- _

_...Dang. I thought that'd work for a while. _

_CLIFFHANGER, NO?! XD Fun to recieve reviews on that...;) However, 26 was killing me for some reason; I just couldn't get it written the way I wanted it to. Splitting Timpani and Blumiere up is hard work, and covering that amount of ground within a chapter is even tougher!! _

_The rating went up to T. Nothing serious, just being safe lil' me. XD_

_**literaldramaqueen**__ wanted to see Timpani, and I planned on our female hero, friend, enemy, and wife to be in this one, anyhow. ;) You guys got lucky!! Yay for you; I get the pleasure of your reviews, you get the pleasure of reading things! XD And it's Timpani's first "battle"! She doesn't do much, but she still does her best. ;) Hoorah for her!_

_The __he__ should be recognizable to Super Paper Mario players/conquerors in here, but if not, just think HARD. If you aren't a SPM player/conqueror, you'll see. If you need help, lemme know._

_I apologize if Jaydes is OOC. -shot- I'VE BEEN DOING SO WELL UP UNTIL THIS POINT! OH NOES!! I rushed her scene a bit. Sorry for all the Jaydes-lovers out there. :o_

_No flames on Blumiere's past, pweeze. I haven't gotten any yet, but I'm still cautious here, so bear with me. Doesn't he look like a violin person?! -shot-_

_Last A/N: FRENCH TRANSLATIONS ARE STILL UP, LEMME KNOW IF YOU WANT THEM. ;)_

_Enjoy! _

* * *

**26**

It was soft, comfortable, and a little warm around Timpani. She didn't know what she was on, but it made her sleepy, as if Blumiere were right next to her. She was slowly becoming conscious again, but she felt sleepier being in this place. But the problem was, as she was feeling around for her husband, she felt nothing but the same softness surrounding her.

"Nng…Blumiere…?" Timpani moaned. Feeling around one more time and still getting the same results, she sighed tiredly. "Blumiere, did we make it? Are we safe?"

No response. Timpani slowly opened her eyes and looked around. There was vibrant blue sky above her, and the softness she was on looked to be like a giant cloud. Up above her, there were even more clouds.

"Oh, no," Timpani sat up. "Am I in the Overthere?"

Having past knowledge about the Overthere with Mario and friends, she knew this was more of a heaven-like place for those whose games had ended. The Underwhere was more like the underworld for ended games, but nevertheless, both the Overthere and Underwhere were places of ended games. And Timpani's game was ended, for sure, but where was Blumiere?

"Blumiere, where are you?!" Timpani exclaimed, growing nervous by the second. "Merlon? Anyone here?!" There was no response, and Timpani frowned. "Oh, dear…"

She grew puzzled at how she should get herself out of the Overthere and reunite with Blumiere once again, but she decided to first calm down; she was shaking with fear and anxiety, and she needed to just relax. Timpani took a deep breath.

"Okay, you'll be alright. This is just a dream, and when you wake up, Blumiere will be right next to you, holding your hand like he always does. And speaking French," Timpani told herself. "Just chill out. Everything will be okay…"

Timpani scooted backwards and into a white tree, and down came an apple that hit Timpani's head. She rubbed her head after yelping.

"Ow! It's not a dream!!" Timpani fought back tears. "Blumiere, please, where the heck are you?!" She suddenly heard a cry of help, followed by a whoosh of cold air. Timpani gasped and looked up, but only saw the bottom of a cloud.

"That'll teach you…!" A rough voice exclaimed. Timpani struggled to see whatever was happening, but because the occurrence was happening in the center of the cloud, she couldn't see it at all, but she knew she had to do something; someone was in trouble.

"Hey! Whatever or whoever you are, you better stop whatever you're doing!!" Timpani yelled. In an instant, a creature with magenta skin and a spike on top of his head jumped down to the cloud Timpani was on. She blinked, recognizing the creature to be a Skellobit, an enemy of Grambi's. "Or…not…whatever you prefer, I mean, it's completely up to you!!"

"Taste spear, lady!" The Skellobit growled, charging at Timpani with a spear in his hand. Timpani cried out, and leaped backwards to prevent from getting stabbed. Upon landing on her feet, she noticed the apple that dropped from the white tree and picked it up. Noticing its golden color, she quickly threw it at the Skellobit; she knew what the golden fruit would do to her: it would cause her to fall into a deep sleep for one-hundred years. The Skellobit was hit in the head, hard, to say the least, and was knocked off the cloud they were on.

"I don't want to say that was easy, but that was easy." Timpani smirked. "But there's still the matter of finding Blumiere; we didn't make it out alive, and Dimentio's still on the loose."

Timpani looked around her and found a low enough cloud for her to reach. She lifted herself onto it, but she saw an Overthere citizen frozen in a block of ice. She gasped, and began to approach it carefully, noticing how thick the ice was.

"So this is what that Skellobit did…" Timpani trailed off. "Oh, no! So does that mean that _he's_ back?!"

* * *

"…Wow! Did you play any instruments when you were a kid?" Sotto asked. Blumiere sighed, a little annoyed with the amount of questions he had to answer for Sotto during the long walk to Jaydes's palace; seventy-nine, he counted, including that one. All he wanted was to find Timpani and get back on Earth to stop Dimentio, but it was apparently too much to ask. However, they were getting close to the steps at the entrance to the Queen's castle.

"Yes, Sotto, I played the violin…"

"Were you good at it?" Eighty…

Blumiere hesitated for a moment. It had been so long since he moved a bow over a tightened string on a piece of carved wood, he forgot if his parents loved the sound of Blumiere's playing or not.

"Yes." Blumiere remembered. "I hate to gloat, but my parents were very impressed at how good I was for my age back then." _At least, that's how I remembered it to be…father never did care for music, but mother did…_

"How old were you?" Eighty-one…

"…Seven."

"Wow! Do you think you could play one really good if you were given one right now?" Eighty-two…

"_Ô, jen e sais pas_!" Blumiere groaned, letting his French nationality get the best of him. "_Je avoir ne pas joué violon en comme ça temps…_!"

Sotto laughed. "I can't understand a word you're saying! But hey, we should play a game: I ask you a question, you answer in French!" Blumiere forced a smile and nodded. It might be fun to speak simple French to a person who doesn't know it, but nevertheless, Blumiere still was counting how many questions Sotto asked.

"How are you?" Eighty-three…

"_Comme çe, comme ça_…" Blumiere trailed off, looking above him at the tall palace. _This place is huge…!_ He thought.

"Ha! Cool! What's your favorite color?" Eighty-four…

"_Noir, rouge, bleu marine, et blanc_." Blumiere answered, starting to go up the steps with Sotto.

"That's so neat; how'd you learn to speak French?" Eighty-five…

"Er, what did you call your father?" Blumiere interrupted himself.

"Papa."

Blumiere smiled, knowing that was the name he called his father when he was young, too. "_Papa éduqué moi très bien._"

"Your dad taught you very well," Sotto translated without hesitation. "_Papa insegnato mi Italiano molto bene, anche._"

"You're Italian?" Blumiere asked kindly. Sotto nodded.

"And proud!"

Blumiere smiled at this comment as they walked down a long hallway. He was grateful that he didn't kill his father when he opened the Dark Prognosticus, nor hurt him, it just angered and almost scared him; after all, it was his son who opened a forbidden book. Blumiere had a strange longing feeling as he thought about his mother and father just then. It wasn't like him to feel like that about his parents; they weren't open to Timpani at all, and it made him infuriated when he thought about that issue.

"Are we close?" Blumiere changed the subject. Sotto nodded.

"Queen Jaydes is behind that door there." Sotto said. "

The door suddenly opened, and out came a woman dressed in black, gold, purple, and silver.

"I definitely need a break from all this paper work; so exaust—what's this?!" She was clearly startled at Sotto and Blumiere standing before her. "You are…Count Bleck, aren't you?!"

Blumiere closed his eyes, trying not to act mad about this, but he indeed was. "Erm…almost…but after saving the worlds with my love, I changed back into Blumiere, who I was before I…opened the Dark Prognosticus." His voice got quiet at the last part of his sentence, ashamed of himself.

"I see…I am Queen Jaydes, ruler of the Underwhere, balance between ended games and…non-ended games!" Jaydes announced. "What business do you have with me?"

"We wish to cross to the Overthere, Queen Jaydes," Sotto said. "We seek a girl named Timpani who is over in the Overthere. Can you give us permission to pass?"

"Only one at a time can go to the Overthere, but I assure you, once in the Overthere, you can never come back to the Underwhere," Jaydes explained. "Who wishes to go?"

Sotto looked at Blumiere, and pushed him forward.

"Huh? Sotto, no, you've been here longer than me, you should go," Blumiere disagreed. "And besides, since I've been a horrible villain in my past, I'll never be able to cross over…"

"But you know what she looks like, and you have worlds to save, too." Sotto smiled. "Go ahead, I can always go later." Blumiere fell silent at this comment, but turned to face Jaydes.

"I, Count Blumiere Noir Fidéle I, wish to go to the Overthere Stair, Queen Jaydes," Blumiere stated. "…Please."

Jaydes nodded. "Very well. Let's weigh your sins, shall we?" After a long pause, Jaydes frowned. "How confusing."

"What?" Blumiere and Sotto asked at the same time.

"You sinned greatly when you disobeyed your father and opened the Dark Prognosticus, and nearly destroyed all worlds, but…you've sacrificed your life several times for your one and only love, Timpani. And you've saved all worlds from destruction, as well." Jaydes stated.

"So…?" Blumiere urged, anxious for the result.

"You're completely balanced out; 50/50." Jaydes said. She sighed. "If there was something special about you…something that would tip the scales in your favor…"

"But, Queen Jaydes! Blumiere's helping saving the worlds now!" Sotto suggested. "He's taken care of me as we got here! He's been listening to all my questions, and answered them, too!" Jaydes paused.

"Good enough for me; I'm getting a headache. Alright, Blumiere Noir Fidéle, you may pass on to the Overthere Stair!" Jaydes decided. Blumiere smiled, and bent down to hug Sotto.

"I hope you get there soon, Sotto. _Au revior._" Blumiere hugged the little boy, and disappeared in a bright light from Jaydes's magic to the Overthere Stair, where he hoped to find Timpani.

"_Au revior…_" Sotto repeated as the count disappeared, smiling. Jaydes looked around, feeling awkward being alone with Sotto. "Do me next! That looked cool!"


	27. XXVII

__

No! I'm slipping a little bit on my update times! X-x Wah! And my story is ending soon! WAH! My hopeful estimate total chapters will be 35...? Not fair; I want reviews to keep coming...:(

_Ah well; that's a little ways off. Best to focus on here and now; there will be one more separation of our lovely couple in the next chapter or so. o.O And I know __**literaldramaqueen**__ will kill me most definitely, but she should try not to for the time being. ;) You'll see why...!_

_This chapter, in my opinion, wasn't my best, but I bet all of you will be disagreeing. This does have a cliffhanger at the end, and the next chapter will have a pretty good fight/action scene. :) I think all of you will like that! _

_Enjoy this one! Sorry for the late update!_

* * *

**27**

Timpani began to walk briskly, almost turning into a jog; if the thing or person she thought was here, then there wouldn't be much time before Grambi would be killed; she, Mario, and Jaydes and Grambi's daughter, Luvbi, just barely got there before Grambi was seriously hurt.

But to Timpani's dismay, however, it was hard to run on a cloud; your feet would sink a little bit from the softness, almost as if you were running on a giant pillow. She had to go as quickly as possible, though, keeping an eye out for any more enemies and Blumiere at the same time. Timpani was trying all her might to conserve her energy, because if she didn't find Blumiere before she found Grambi, she would have to fight _him_ by herself, and it would be mighty difficult.

As she climbed up cloud number seventy-four, Timpani suddenly felt as if she was being watched. She cautiously continued on, and just as she was about to grab hold of the edge of seventy-five, a hand clamped over her mouth, and she was pulled backward.

"Lovely to see you again, my Lady," His voice was almost low and threatening, but it was smooth and warm sounding at the same time.

Timpani struggled to break free of her captor's grip, but she finally was able to get a hand free to attempt to escape. He took both her hands and placed them behind her back. He chuckled.

"And you can't recognize me, can you?"

Timpani swallowed; she was in all fear now, even though he couldn't do her harm, since they were both dead, but because Blumiere wasn't there beside her to save her, she felt quite intimidated by this strange person. Timpani could only shake her head no, because she couldn't talk.

"So this is what it's like to be my father…having a silent wife. I personally don't like it, but if you do, by all means, stay that way." His voice was suddenly inviting and loving. He let go of Timpani gently, and she grew confused. Feeling him back away from her, she slowly turned around and gasped. The person who was threatening to Timpani, was amazingly her own husband, Blumiere.

"So can we try it again?" Blumiere offered his hand to Timpani, winking. "Lovely to see you again, my Lady."

Timpani threw herself into Blumiere's arms, laughing. "Why can't you just greet people normally instead of scaring the living heck out of them?!"

"I scared you?" Blumiere hugged her back. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to intimidate you or anything, I just wanted to see how submissive or how resistant you were, is all."

"And I'm…?"

"You were resistant at first, but turned submissive at the end," Blumiere finished. "Silly." Timpani giggled.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Timpani, I'm fine. I was just concerned about you," Blumiere said. He hesitated. "Looks like we…didn't make it…" Timpani sighed and frowned.

"No, we didn't." Timpani agreed. "How will we get back?" Blumiere paused.

"Good question. You're on your way to Grambi, right?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded. "Then we might want to hurry; I was feeling a presence of a Pure Heart, and it feels like it's up towards his palace."

"The eighth one?" Timpani began to feel excited. "It's here? Wow, we're lucky!"

"I hope we're lucky for once, because if the Pure Heart is here, then Dimentio's going to want to watch us fight for it, or at least tease us for a bit. And no doubt there's someone guarding the dumb thing." Blumiere said. He paused, sensing something. "…And there is. Something big and very powerful."

"Then how will we get to Grambi in time?" Timpani asked. "If something big and powerful is in his palace, then Grambi must be in trouble! And by the description you're giving me, it sounds like Bonechill, which could never be a good sign for either of us or Grambi." Blumiere frowned.

"Who?"

"I really wish you were on our side the last time…explanations are getting old." Timpani sighed. "Bonechill is a huge, dragon-like monster that breathes ice at any intruder; he seeks the Pure Hearts for his own unknown purpose, but either way, he is extremely dangerous and could kill both of us easily."

"I see. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, which in this case, aren't really that desperate," Blumiere replied. "Ready for some teleporting?" Blumiere took Timpani's hand, and both left the spot in an instant.

* * *

In Castle Dimention, Dimentio's minions were squirming with anticipation and anxiety; Dimentio was no where to be found after an hour since he left the castle. Everyone was dying for something to do, except Nastasia, of course. She was trying her hardest to calm everyone down and keep them in one spot before Dimentio came back.

"GRRR! That dumb count TRICKED US!" Mimi growled. "How could he do that?! Didn't the king know about this?!"

"Well, I gotta say, I'm pretty eager to see that lil' Timpani again, eh?" O'Chunks smirked, but shook his head, remembering his crush on Nastasia. "I mean, just so I can make her disappear forever!!" Mimi scowled.

"She and Blumiere are jerks for hurting Mr. L and Mr. M so badly like that! They're DEAD, thanks to them!!" Mimi crossed her arms. "French…HA!"

"Hey, everyone settle down, okay?!" Nastasia yelled. "The king took care of Lady Timpani and Count Blumiere; they're dead as dead can be. Mr. L and Mr. M are resting up, so just chill out for a little bit until King Dimentio gets back!" Mimi did a double take.

"Did you just say 'Mr. L and Mr. M are resting up'?? So they're alive?" Mimi asked. Nastasia groaned.

"Yeah, so what?" Nastasia said. "Their condition doesn't concern you the slightest bit."

O'Chunks thought for a little bit, then laughed. "So, yer sayin' that Timpani and Blumiere are gone forever? Heh, wimps! We still got our good ol' pair o' plumbers with us, though! We're unstoppable now!" Nastasia sighed, unsure of how accurate O'Chunks was; she didn't believe her claim that Timpani and Blumiere were dead for sure. Dimentio had seemed to act more evil than he had been lately, and he left the castle without telling what he was doing first.

But she remembered him saying something about making sure the chapel was ready before he got back. She didn't know why, but it was best not to question his methods.

* * *

Blumiere and Timpani were now running as hard as they could to the doors of Grambi's palace, unsure of what was to be introduced before them. Blumiere pulled open the doors and followed Timpani inside the vast ivory palace, only to see that Grambi was not even there. Timpani panted and bent over, trying to catch her breath.

"Are…you…kidding me? We came here for nothing?!" Timpani gasped for air, but Blumiere stayed silent, looking upwards. Afraid of what he was looking at, Timpani looked slowly in the direction of Blumiere's eyes. It was a large, blue, dragon-like creature that was gazing down upon them both.

"I beg to differ, my dear," A cold voice boomed. "But you came here for the best offer you could ever get."

"Bonechill…?" Blumiere asked Timpani, who nodded.

"Bonechill."


	28. XXVIII

_It's 28! Yay! _

_"Action chapter", sure, why not. XD Not one of my longest, but still, be happy! _

_28 & 29 will be...slightly short. 29 will be short, but that's because there isn't much description in it, and there is a reason for that! JUST WAIT!_

_Oh, dang, you guys are going to kill me in the next chapter. Crud. o.O_

_Dimentio appears in here, next one, the next after that, and--OH NOES! I think he appears in every chapter from now until the end! WHOO! Yay for Dimentio fans out there, including me. :) _

_Enjoy; I'll be posting more over the weekend so it evens out a little bit; like I said, these are shorter, but hopefully just as good._

* * *

**28**

As Bonechill breathed ice on the ceiling, icicles instantly began to form, acting like soon-to-be falling spikes. As long as the icicles were intact, they would drop onto the two Heroes and knock them unconscious until who knows when. One began to dangle off the ceiling, and headed straight for Timpani, who was grabbed quickly and pulled out of the way by Blumiere.

"Where's Grambi? What have you done with him?!" Blumiere demanded. Bonechill laughed.

"Who knows, who cares?!" He cackled. "Shall we finish this quickly?"

Blumiere scowled. "Fine by me." He aimed his staff in the air, but found that nothing was shooting out of it; no voids, no beams of energy, nothing. He gasped, but Timpani shoved him out of the way as another icicle fell from the top of the room.

"Dang, voids won't get us out of here this time!" Blumiere said. Timpani frowned.

"Then how will we get out of this mess?!" Timpani asked. "If Grambi isn't here, then we don't really have much of a purpose here; we have to save the other worlds!" Blumiere paused, but pulled Timpani out of the way as yet another icicle fell towards her.

"We have to keep moving; these things won't rest until they see us gone for good!" Blumiere said, catching his breath.

"So just give up, then!" Bonechill suggested. "Admit defeat, and I'll let you go!"

"No, we won't!" Blumiere answered immediately. Timpani blinked.

"Why not?!" Timpani exclaimed.

"Because if we do, then the Overthere will be tortured by him forevermore!!" Blumiere said, picking up an icicle. "So, it's time to fight ice with ice." He threw it as hard as he could at Bonechill, and some of his scales dropped to the floor.

Timpani smiled. "Oh, I get it; if you throw icicles at Bonechill, he'll eventually get weaker and weaker until he falls apart completely! That's perfect!"

"_Oui, trés bien._" Blumiere winked.

"Fine, then! If you two want to play hard, then I'll play harder!" Bonechill growled, breathing more icicles at the ceiling now. Timpani frowned, but Blumiere smirked, finding that his clever plan was working quite well.

"Blumiere, what—"

"It's perfect, don't worry." Blumiere interrupted. Timpani could only watch as her husband threw the sharp pieces of ice at their attacker. "Well, this is quite ironic; I'm not very skilled at physical activity. Did you want to give it a try?" Timpani hesitated.

"I don't know, I'm not very good at stuff like this either, but what can I lose…?" Timpani took an icicle in hand, and threw it as far as she could, which wasn't even close to being near Bonechill. She blinked. Blumiere didn't know what to say.

"Nice…shot…?" Blumiere fought back a laugh. Timpani cleared her throat.

"Just keep throwing them, Blumiere."

"_Comme vous voudrez,_" Blumiere regained himself, and began to pitch more and more icicles at Bonechill, but after a while, Blumiere noticed that an ice piece was headed for Timpani, but she didn't know it. He gasped. "Timpani!!"

Timpani looked up, covered her head, and cried out. There was a huge crashing noise, and Blumiere ran to Timpani's side. He was relieved; it didn't hit her directly, but it was pinning a little bit of her dress onto the floor, disabling her to run away from it.

"A little bit of a close call, but are you alright?" Blumiere asked, searching for a way to get the icicle off of Timpani's white dress.

"I'm perfectly fine, but help me get this thing off of my dress?!" Timpani tugged at her dress. Blumiere whacked at the large ice piece with his staff, but after a few minutes, nothing had happened. Both frowned.

"This is so ridiculous; my voids don't work here, icicles keep falling from the ceiling, and now there's one I can't move!" Blumiere attempted to push the sharp block of ice. "So much for our luck…"

"We need fire, or something to melt this thing!" Timpani suggested. Blumiere nodded with agreement.

"But where can we find something like that in a time and place like this?" Blumiere asked. He glanced up at the ceiling, and to his dismay he noticed that a sharp icicle was about to fall toward them both. Timpani squealed.

"OH, THAT'S JUST PERFECT!!" Blumiere groaned sarcastically. "Rip your dress, Timpani, we can get a new one later!"

"What?! No!! All my others are at home!" Timpani refused.

"Ah ha ha ha! Yes, Blumiere, don't do that!" Dimentio was suddenly hovering up above them, grinning. "You'll ruin poor Timpani's dress!" Blumiere scowled, but before he could say anything, Bonechill was growling with rage.

"If I may interrupt you, you're intruding on a very highly-anticipated battle!" Bonechill fumed. Dimentio narrowed his eyes, broke off the sharp icicle that was dangling above the couple, and tossed it at Bonechill without even looking. It hit the giant dragon-like monster, and Bonechill fell over, unconscious.

"If I may interrupt YOU, you're intruding on a very highly-anticipated conversation." Dimentio mimicked. He grabbed the ice that was holding down Timpani in one swift motion and threw it across the room. Dimentio then grabbed Timpani by the arm and pushed Blumiere aside. "May I cut in? Ah ha ha! Come along, dear Timpani!!"

"No! Let go of me!" Timpani cried, desperately trying to get her arm out of Dimentio's grip. He simply sighed.

"If you wish me to do this the hard way, then let it be so." Dimentio hit Timpani on the back of her head, knocking her out and making her fall limp.

"Dimentio, stop right there!" Blumiere scowled, aiming his staff at Dimentio. "I won't allow you to harm Timpani in anyway!" Dimentio laughed.

"Oh, goodness me! What will I do?!" Dimentio teased. "Seriously, count, what are you going to do? Voids won't work here; you're DEAD!!"

Blumiere knew this was true; what could he do to Dimentio? He lowered his staff slightly, but didn't let his guard down.

"Ah ha ha…yes, of course, Blumiere, you can do nothing to help your one and only love from evil clutches," Dimentio taunted. "Ahh…well, time is running short here; I need to get back to work. But not to worry, count! I'll deal with you later. And don't panic; I'll take good care of your _chéri_! Ciao!" Dimentio smirked. He and Timpani disappeared into thin air at that instant before Blumiere could do anything about it. To make matters better for Dimentio, he now had everything he needed for what was in store back at the castle…except for one other thing…


	29. XXIX

_-Has been writing all day-_

_So...close...to finishing...30...must...not...stop...but will take a break and post...a very short...29..._

_Yes. This is a very short chapter. I am sorry. So very very sorry! _

_But's very, VERY important! And suspensful. Very. Just think hard...;)_

_Enjoy while I type my hand off on 30:) Next update should be...tomorrow...? We'll see..._

* * *

**29**

"Ohh…ow…" Timpani moaned, pain shooting through her head. She tried to move her hand to her head, but she found she couldn't move them. Timpani knew that she was standing upright, but she longed to sit or lay down. When she tried to open her eyes, however, all she saw was pitch blackness. "Where am I…?"

"Ah ha ha ha…so finally you're awake, Timpani!" A familiar voice cackled. Timpani knew it was Dimentio, however; he had kidnapped her just recently and knocked her out, but she didn't know where she was or what was going on.

"W-what's happening?!" Timpani cried. "I can't see or move!"

"Keep it that way!" A high-pitched voice squealed, and someone jabbed a fist in Timpani's side.

"Ouch!" Timpani yelped. "Let me go!"

"Not yet," Dimentio said. "Is the groom ready?"

"G-groom?! How many times do I have to say that I'm married??" Timpani stammered. Another fist in the side. "Ow! Quit it!"

"He's ready, meh king!" A scruff voice answered. There were muffled growls a ways in front of Timpani, but a slap after that.

"Ah ha ha. Good, good!" Dimentio laughed. "Then shall we get on with it?"

"Get on with what?" Timpani asked.

"Your wedding, of course!" Dimentio answered. Timpani gasped.

"W-WEDDING?!" Timpani yelped. Another fist came jabbing in her side, almost causing her to bend over with pain. She fought it, though, and regained her composure. "What are you talking about?! I'm already married! I can't be married again! That's impossible; it's cheating!"

"Will you just hush up already?!" The high-pitched voice scolded. "You are seriously annoying!!"

"Nastasia, how much time do we have left?" Dimentio asked.

"About…ten minutes. Jump to the vows, sir, it's for the best."

"Hmm…you're right. The quicker, the better!" Dimentio agreed. There were more muffled growls from in front of Timpani, but they were ignored by everyone except Timpani.

"Shouldn't you do something about this person in front of me? I mean, really, he seems upset!" Timpani said.

"He can't hear or see you, anyway, don't worry about it." Dimentio replied. "Anyhow, I want you to cooperate, Timpani, so please do. If you don't, we'll have to go for drastic measures, and they won't be fun."

"I don't care! Where's Blumiere?! I will not marry anyone at anytime anywhere!" Timpani struggled to break free of whoever was hanging onto her.

"Just shut up!" The high-pitched voice squealed. "The king is going to announce vows, so shut your trap and listen!"

"No, you shut up! I'm sick of having to be fought over every two seconds! I don't want to be married again; I like the way things are now!!" Timpani growled.

"Will you, a pure-of-heart Lady and loving girl take this Lord to be your lawfully wedded husband until your games are over?" Dimentio asked. There were muffled yells from across Timpani.

"No! Absolutely not!! I will never marry someone else other than Blumiere!!" Timpani refused. Dimentio sighed.

"You sure about that?"

"I'm absolutely sure about it!" Timpani said. She suddenly was forced down to the floor, and her mind couldn't think straight. "Urk!!"

"Sorry, we don't really take that answer around here, Timpani." Nastasia said. "So, answer the king's question again: Do you take this Lord to be your lawfully wedded husband until your games are over?"

"……..I…n-no! I…don't!!" Timpani struggled to get her mentality back in order, but her resistance began to fail. "….I……..I……d-d-do…." Her mind began to cooperate with her body, and she slowly got up. "Don't ever do that again! Do you hear me?! I could—"

"Cover her ears and mouth, Mimi!" Dimentio ordered. Timpani's mouth was suddenly covered with a cloth tightly, and she couldn't hear anything anymore.

"And do you, hating Lord and evil man take this girl to be your lawfully wedded wife until your games are over?" Dimentio asked. The groom could now hear and talk, but still couldn't see anything.

"Alright, first off, I'm not—"

"Answer teh king's question, yeh thick-headed fellah!" The scruff voice said, hitting him.

"I most certainly do n—" The groom's mouth was covered before he could finish his sentence. Dimentio cackled evilly.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!! PERFECT!" Dimentio exclaimed. "Ah, finally! Thank you so much for your assistance, Mimi and O'Chunks. I do appreciate it so."

"Sure, king! Anything for you!" Mimi curtseyed.

"Yeah, it wasn't a problem for this man! Never a problem for O'Chunks!!" O'Chunks laughed.

"Mm-hmm, of course," Dimentio laughed. "Go ahead and head back, Nastasia, Mimi, and O'Chunks. Now, kiss and make up, you two. Weddings are so emotional…!"

Timpani was suddenly shoved forward until she hit the groom. Her head was shoved upward until her lips met the groom's. She tried to get away, actually, both of them tried to pull back, but they were only shoved forward more.

"Let them see who they're with for the rest of their lives…not that it would make a difference…" Dimentio smirked. Timpani felt a blindfold untie, and eyes were suddenly full of bright light, and what appeared to be a chapel. She snapped them shut because the sudden transition from dark to light hurt her eyes. But something caught her eye: who she was kissing. She opened them again, both pulled back, and gasped.

* * *

_Who might it be? Bowser? Mr. M? Mr. L? Francis? Merlon? A Koopa? A Goomba? Mario? Luigi? Dimentio's clone? Or perhaps it's Bestovious..._

_Remember that Dimentio said "Lord"...just tossing it out there...;)_

_On that suspensful note, REVIEW! XD_


	30. XXX

_Last chapter's reviews were probably the most torturing ever. I soooo wanted to tell you who it was, but I resisted. Go back and you'll notice that the groom growls whenever Dimentio says "lord"...he's sensitive about his name...come on, you know it, and you'll kick yourself when you read it...;) (__**Twilight Being92**__: you were so correct, but you changed your answer at the last second! Oh noes!!)_

_I won't be happy if someone asks me, "BUT WHY THEM?! HOW CAN THEY MAKE A CHAOS HEART DESCENDANT??", because Dimentio says why SO many times. Pay attention, sillies!_

_Thanks to __**Dimention, carlo707, Twilight Being92, and Princess of Flames**__ for reviewing on 28 and/or 29. I can't tell you how happy I am that you guys constantly review; and I was quite startled when only four people reviewed on my last two chapters. -pokes everyone else to make sure they're alive- _

_Such a long chapter! But it's 30!! WHOO! Party!_

_Bestovious is mentioned in here. Answers are flowing in, huh? -hands all a pad of paper to take notes with- XD_

_Enjoy, please! I worked a day on this one!!_

* * *

**30**

"Shocked, dear Timpani?" Dimentio laughed. Timpani couldn't believe her eyes; standing before her was a man in a white cape, a monocle, and a white hat, clearly just as shocked as she was.

"B-Blumiere…?!" Timpani exclaimed. Blumiere nodded, still in shock. "What the heck are you doing here?!" Blumiere was about to say something, but Dimentio interrupted instantly.

"To answer that question for you, I'm getting my last and final Chaos Heart descendant!" Dimentio twirled around. "And it's about to make its appearance!"

"W-what?!" Timpani and Blumiere asked. Dimentio grinned as bright light began to fill the room.

"Ah ha ha! With Blumiere's hatred for his enemies, specifically me, and Timpani's pure heart, you two make a fine combination for a Chaotic Pure Heart!" Dimentio explained as the light formed into a heart shape.

"But Timpani and I are already married; how come it didn't appear before?" Blumiere demanded. "You never make sense, Dimentio!"

"Ah, but it does make sense, for you both thought that I was killed after that final battle a few months ago! You thought your enemies would never interfere with you again, and so your hatred declined to a minimum," Dimentio answered as the heart now hovered above his head, now receiving traces of black inside of it. "And of course, magic never, ever dies! You should've listened to your papa's warning, Blumiere, your kind and humans don't mix."

Blumiere glowered and dove for Dimentio, completely angry, but Dimentio stepped out of the way. "Don't you EVER talk about my parents like that!"

"My, aren't we testy. Apparently Blumiere doesn't like his parents a whole lot," Dimentio teased. Timpani shoved Dimentio out of the way, causing him to lose the Chaotic Pure Heart. Dimentio hit a pillar, but got up. "As are you, dearest Timpani. Well, well, if you want a fight, I can give you a well-deserved fight!"

Dimentio leaped for Timpani, and he grabbed her, and she grabbed him. They began to fly in midair down the stairs. Blumiere began to run over to chase after them.

"BLUMIERE, GET THE CHAOTIC PURE HEART!!" Timpani cried. Blumiere turned around and grabbed the white and black small heart and looked at it, analyzing it for weak points, but couldn't find anything.

"Where's the weak spot on this thing?!" Blumiere asked aloud. Dimentio and Timpani hit the floor, now wrestling with one another.

"Hard to do this in a dress, eh, Timpani?" Dimentio growled. Timpani scowled.

"Not that hard to do this…" Timpani then kicked Dimentio off of her, and began to run up the stairs to help Blumiere, but Dimentio grabbed her arm and threw her back. Blumiere set the heart on the ground, and attempted to stab it with the end of his staff, but he was thrown back from the energy surrounding it.

"You sure you want to take all this beating for a little heart?" Dimentio winked. "Because I can stop it right now if you desire…" Timpani frowned.

"No way…!"

"But a Lady shouldn't fight so hard; it's bad for your health." Dimentio began to summon his magic. "But it's your funeral, so I'll let you do as you wish!"

Dimentio began to shoot magic from his fingertips at Timpani, who was trying her hardest to dodge them all. Every time she tried to approach the staircase, Dimentio would multiply and block her way out. Timpani could only stand and defend herself, though she longed for a rest.

"Oh, so are you tired already?" Dimentio landed on the ground. "You haven't even dealt with a hit to me yet!"

Timpani panted, but she shook her head. "I may be tired, but I'm not going to let you win this!!" Timpani denied, and she dove for Dimentio, who jumped into the air and hovered there.

"Ah ha ha! Don't be silly, little girl, you'll definitely lose to me; after all, I'm king of magic!" Dimentio crossed his arms.

Blumiere, however, was determined to win this as well; he had tried almost everything he could to at least scratch the surface of the Chaotic Pure Heart, but was unsuccessful. He knew that he and Timpani should be switched right now; he should be fighting, and she should be doing this, but he still had a job to do, and Timpani seemed to be alright.

An idea struck in his mind, though; if the Pure Hearts counteracted the Chaos Heart, and the Chaos Heart's descendants were part of the Chaos Heart, couldn't the Pure Hearts counteract them? He would need a Pure Heart to stop the Chaotic Pure Heart, but how could he get it if Timpani was fighting? She held them all safely, but Dimentio didn't know that.

Blumiere looked over at the two and grinned evilly. "_Je avoir voulu vers faire ceci pour un temps…!_" Blumiere grabbed the Chaotic Pure Heart and jumped off the top level of the chapel, and whacked Dimentio into the wall on his way down to land. He smirked.

"_Ah, fantastique_." Blumiere whispered, watching Dimentio impact with the wall. He turned to Timpani. "Timpani, I need a Pure Heart, now! The eighth one would be—oh no, where is the eighth Pure Heart?!"

Timpani realized what Blumiere meant; they hadn't found it because they didn't destroy Bonechill at the Overthere Stair. "Eek! I don't know where it is!! I thought you had it!!"

"Vice versa!!" Blumiere grew wary and anxious.

Dimentio rubbed his head and straightened his jester hat out, eventually coming to a laugh. "Ah ha ha ha ha!! It's with me, you idiots!!" Dimentio interrupted. "I decided to take the liberty of snatching it right before Bonechill awoke from his sleep before you two came. And for future references, the Chaotic Pure Hearts cannot be destroyed unless their Pure Heart counteracts it."

"What?" Blumiere asked, dumbfounded.

"If you want to destroy the first Chaotic Pure Heart, you need the first Pure Heart. Not that it would matter; you can't stop this from happening now!" Dimentio smirked evilly, crossing his arms. Timpani frowned.

"We can't stop it…?"

"Silly Timpani, of course you can't!" Dimentio dusted off his outfit and began to hover mid-air. Blumiere closed his eyes and leaned on his staff, thinking.

_If, though, we counteract all the Chaotic Pure Hearts…wouldn't the Chaos Heart dispatch…? _Blumiere thought. _Both the Dark and Light Prognosticus books said that _'_anything that dispatches the Chaos Heart will reverse the damage done to all worlds'_. _So we can stop it. It'll just take time._

He suddenly was impacted with a beam of energy, and he hit the wall behind him.

"Ah ha ha ha! Wake up, count!" Dimentio chuckled. "This is no time for space-outs!"

Blumiere shook his head as he hit the ground, overwhelmed by what had just happened to him. Timpani rushed to his side, concerned of his condition.

"Are you okay?!" Timpani asked. Blumiere nodded, and got to his feet.

"I just had a thought running through my head," Blumiere said. "If we counteract all the Chaotic Pure Hearts, wouldn't that destroy the Chaos Heart and reverse all the damage done?" Timpani smiled willingly.

"Sounds like a good plan…" Timpani said. "But since Dimentio has the eighth Pure Heart, and we have the eighth Chaotic Pure Heart—"

"The worlds are still doomed." Dimentio interrupted. "Quit talking and fight, Heroes!"

Blumiere jumped into the air, hanging onto his staff, ready to swing or cast a void, while Timpani ran on foot to grab Dimentio by the ankles. Dimentio, however swatted Blumiere away and got out of Timpani's way.

"Ah ha ha! Much easier than it needs to be," Dimentio laughed, and he suddenly disappeared. Timpani and Blumiere stopped.

"What the—where did he go?" Timpani asked. Blumiere knelt down to the spot where Dimentio disappeared.

"Not far; he'd say 'ciao' before leaving anywhere," Blumiere said, confused. "But no trace of anything…"

Timpani looked up and yelped. She grabbed Blumiere and pulled him out of the way. A huge crash came following right where Blumiere was, and both stared at that spot.

"What was that?!" Blumiere asked. Timpani was suddenly thrown to the side, and Blumiere was thrown to the opposite side. Dimentio appeared suddenly, landing on the ground, smirking.

"Wonderful dimensional powers from Bestovious," Dimentio said matter-of-factly. "Ah ha ha. You two can't win! But still, to make the deal sweet, how about I narrow the competition?"

Blumiere looked up at Dimentio, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"How about I eliminate…" Dimentio grabbed Timpani, "your darling wife? Just to make things even?"

Blumiere growled as he saw his wife struggle to break free of Dimentio's grasp, and he grabbed Timpani's free hand and pulled on it. Dimentio laughed evilly as he pulled back, Blumiere said nothing, and Timpani was squealing as she was being used as a tug-o-war game.

"EEP! That hurts!" Timpani said. Blumiere tugged harder on her, pulling her head close to his.

"_Ensuite aider,_" Blumiere whispered. Timpani blinked, not knowing what he was talking about. Blumiere frowned. "Then help!!"

Timpani did as she was told, and began to push off of the evil jester, eventually making it easier for Blumiere to get her over to his side. Dimentio suddenly let go, sending Blumiere and Timpani flying.

"Ah, no matter," Dimentio smirked. "I have everything I need now, anyway. Ciao, Timpani and Blumiere!" With a snap of his fingers, a large box emerged around the couple, and both knew what it was for; in moments, Dimentio would set off explosions that would send them back to the Underwhere and Overthere in no time flat. Blumiere was quick, though, grabbed Timpani, and teleported out of them before Dimentio could do any harm.

Dimentio smiled. "Ah ha ha ha ha…all according to plan…"

Blumiere and Timpani appeared outside of an enormous black castle, a castle that Blumiere recognized all too well: Castle Bleck. The castle was surrounded by dark violet and black skies with the occasional cold wind gusting through.

"Dimentio is a lying, cheating thief," Blumiere scowled. "It's MY castle, and he stole it!!"

"Why did we appear here, Blumiere?" Timpani asked.

"It was the only safe place nearby…" Blumiere trailed off. "We'll have to get to the main hall to fight Dimentio once and for all."

"The main hall…? Is that where we fought you?" Timpani asked. Blumiere nodded. "O'Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio nearly killed Bowser, Peach, and Luigi. There is no way that we could make it through without getting wasted ourselves."

"You forget," Blumiere winked. "I've lived here for weeks upon weeks after you disappeared. I know this place so well, you could blindfold me, set me in a random, black corner, and I could tell you the direction of the entrance, the chapel, the main hall, and how to get to the top floor, feeling the walls, listening to the sounds, and without looking."

"So…you could get through here easy?" Timpani clarified. "Enemies and all?"

"I know all their weak points, strong points, everything." Blumiere nodded.

"Then let's get started," Timpani smiled. "We have work to do."


	31. XXXI

_Whoa. I...I updated...on a Monday!! X-x I gotta say, Mondays are probably the worst day of the week for me. ;-; But I survived today, and managed to update. WHOO!_

_I. Am. So. Excited. :) I asked my sister and mom if they thought the name 'Blumiere' (they don't know who he is lol) was French, Italian, Spanish, etc., and they both said "FRENCH." I asked why they thought that, and they reminded me of Lumiere, the candlestick from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". AND INDEED, 'LUMIERE' MEANS 'LIGHT' IN FRENCH. I was spazzing out when I figured this out. XD So Blumiere is in fact French, or at least his name is. ;)_

_That pretty much wraps up A/N for today. ;) I hope you enjoy this one, sorry about the short ending, and I'll try to finish 32 asap. (Hasn't finished it yet) ...Yeah. Heh, oh yeah, I'll try. _

* * *

**31**

Timpani and Blumiere walked down a long, black hallway, careful not to say anything; there hadn't been any enemies yet, but Blumiere said that there would be a surprise attack any second, he knew it. Timpani didn't argue; Castle Bleck was a huge castle, and there were bound to be some form of attack on them. The way she had taken to the main hall last time, she and Mario were constantly poured on with enemies, not including Bleck's minions…

The darkness gave nervous shivers to Timpani, and she frowned with uncertainty. Her hope was to never come back to Castle Bleck; it gave too many painful memories to Timpani and Blumiere. Timpani wasn't even sure if they could stop Dimentio in time, either; if it wasn't for Blumiere, they wouldn't have gotten out of that fight alive.

"_Mon chéri, qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?_" Blumiere suddenly asked, startling Timpani a little. Blumiere knew that swooning her with French was the only way to get her out of unwell thoughts, so he did just that to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, what?" Timpani asked. Blumiere stopped walking, as did Timpani.

"Are you okay? You seem nervous or scared or something…" Blumiere trailed off. Timpani looked down, unable to gather words to say. Blumiere took her hand. "If this has something to do with the castle, I know what you're going through; it hurts me enough coming back here, even if I'm with you."

"I…know, but it's not just that," Timpani muttered. "I've just been…thinking about how we can really stop this from happening. I mean, if it wasn't for you back there, we would've both been killed by Dimentio, and if you were to get hurt, I couldn't fend for myself or you, and it's just…I don't…know…" Timpani felt tears in her eyes forming. "Really, though, can love overcome this?? I—"

Timpani was interrupted by a sudden kiss from Blumiere. She was taken aback by it, but as soon as she was aware of what was going on, Blumiere had already ended it before Timpani could really return his love.

"You talk way too much," Blumiere smiled. "Come on, we'll figure this out when we get there; it's certainly no use getting depressed about it, because if anyone sees us getting gloomy about it, they'll strike when we least expect it." They continued walking in silence, ever-cautious of their surroundings. Timpani still felt unsure and insecure, but Blumiere sensed this and pulled Timpani closer to him, holding her hand tightly.

"_Effrayé_?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded.

"Yeah," Timpani replied. "I'm very scared."

"_Oui; aussi suis je._" Blumiere agreed. "As am I…" Timpani was surprised by this; Blumiere had admitted fear in front of his own wife. Normally, Blumiere wouldn't admit something like this, because if he did, it would make Timpani feel even worse. She looked up at Blumiere, who didn't look back at her.

"Y-you're…scared?" Timpani asked as they walked over to a door. "I thought you were okay with being here, I mean, you're adapted to this sort of place, aren't you?" Blumiere fell silent as he opened it.

"I know, but it's still nerve-racking to…well…come back and—" Blumiere and Timpani suddenly stopped as they saw a Hammer Bro. in front of them. "Out of the way, minion, or I'll make you get out of the way!!"

The Hammer Bro. moved over, blankly staring into space. Blumiere and Timpani blinked.

"He's…not…attacking us?" Timpani asked, dumbfounded. "I…don't get it!" Blumiere waved his hand in front of the Hammer Bro., who remained motionless and said nothing. Blumiere frowned as nothing happened.

"Well, perhaps he's—"

"WHAT IS YOUR BIDDING, COUNT BLECK?!" The Hammer Bro. suddenly shouted, sending Timpani flying into Blumiere's arms, deeply startled by the sudden cry of the armed-Koopa. Blumiere frowned as he held onto Timpani.

"…Go jump off a cliff."

"Blumiere!" Timpani narrowed her eyes.

"What? Do you want to get through this or not?" Blumiere replied.

"SIRTHATISANINVALIDCOMMANDSIR!!" The Hammer Bro. said. Blumiere and Timpani froze, waiting for the Hammer Bro. to start attacking them, but nothing happened yet again.

"…'Invalid command'? What are you—ohh…invalid command…" Blumiere began to form an evil plan in his head. "How about this: turn against Dimentio, will you?"

"WHOISTHISDIMENTIOSIR?!" The Hammer Bro. shouted. Timpani covered her ears.

"OW! Stop yelling!" Timpani frowned.

"Hold on a second, did you just ask me who Dimentio was?" Blumiere asked. The Hammer Bro. nodded. _That's…odd. Why wouldn't he recognize Dimentio? _"Um…well…_ingrat_…"

"YOUSPEAKFRENCHSIRYESSIR!!" The Hammer Bro. saluted. "YOURPARENTS'SNAMESARENOIRANDTAIRESIR!!" Blumiere was now completely drawn in right now; he had recognized that Blumiere had spoke French, he knew who Blumiere's parents were, and he didn't recognize Dimentio's name…

"Do you know who Timpani is?" He asked.

Timpani's ears perked at her name. "Why are you asking if he knows me?"

"Hush. I'll tell you later."

"SIRYESSIR,TIMPANIISYOURLIFE-LONGLOVESIR!!" The Hammer Bro. answered. Blumiere smirked, but turned to a serious, official look, like he always had when he was Count Bleck.

"Dismissed, minion." Blumiere commanded. "You didn't have a conversation with me, do you understand that?" The Hammer Bro. nodded and ran off. Timpani was set back on her feet, and she turned to her husband.

"I don't think I'm quite understanding what you just did…" Timpani trailed off.

"At first, I didn't, either. But I realized that when Nastasia brainwashed all those creatures in all those worlds, I made sure they knew who you were, Timpani, because if they found you, they'd bring you to me before the prophecy could be undone, which was unsuccessful…" Blumiere explained. "Nevertheless, if they brought you to me, then we would be happy again with each other, but since I hadn't gotten any feedback from any of them, I figured you died or you were murdered."

"How does that relate to now?" Timpani asked.

"If that Hammer Bro. is brainwashed to not know who Dimentio is, to know who Count Bleck is, and to know who you are, then I say that some of these minions aren't being brainwashed quite the way Dimentio's planned," Blumiere smirked evilly. "Finally, I think we may have found a flaw in his plans…"

"So, you're saying that Nastasia's brainwashing power from Bleck has actually kept the same settings as it was before?" Timpani asked. "But wouldn't Dimentio notice something? And what about Nastasia?"

"Good point. Maybe he hasn't come into direct contact enough with his minions yet," Blumiere shrugged. "As for Nastasia…I think she's recognizing Dimentio as Count Bleck, which is still her master. It may sound crazy, but we can probably still snap her out of it the next time we see her." Timpani shrugged after a pause.

"I'm confused." Timpani said simply, blushing.

Blumiere laughed. "That's what I thought," Blumiere said, finding another door and opening it. "All you should worry about is sticking with me, because if you do, you won't be treated like an intruder." They went into another room, feeling content. "Ah, _bien. _The interior. We're getting along just fine."

"Well, I beg tah differ, meh count!" O'Chunks suddenly fell from the ceiling, shaking the ground as he landed. "This is where yeh and yer girl come to a dead stop!"


	32. XXXII

_I'm so sorry for the very long wait; this story was put on an abrupt hold when I got the news that my grandmother on my mom's side who was diagnosed with Alzhimers passed away on Tuesday morning. Nevertheless, I had way too many things going on as I tried to comfort my mom, get the house looking decent for a gathering of my mom's family after the funeral, etc. And of course, after the funeral on Friday, I felt really exhausted, like VERY exhausted, but my mom told me it was probably because of huge emotional change because I cried so much. _

_But life goes on, still! Don't worry, I'm fine now, and I'm so ready to attack this story with a vengance! HUZZAH! -shot-_

_32 is short, but it's alright, right? XD I'll try to update soon this week, hopefully I'll finish the entire thing before my play on November 8, 9, and 10. Halloween is coming up, and I do have a Trio fic almost finshed...!! _

_Enjoy:)_

* * *

**32**

Timpani backed up behind Blumiere, who sighed. "You know what's going to happen, O'Chunks. We always beat you, so why bother putting up a—" Blumiere was suddenly sent flying backwards, along with Timpani behind him, and they were headed straight for the wall behind them. Timpani turned around so her back was against Blumiere's, and she held out her arms, preventing them both from crashing into it. They landed safely.

"…Fight." Blumiere finished. "Thank you, _mon amour._"

"You're welcome," Timpani smiled. She turned to face O'Chunks. "Out of the way, O'Chunks!"

"Or yeh'll do what?!" O'Chunks challenged. Timpani fell silent, not knowing what to say.

"Or…Blumiere will fight you!" Timpani stammered.

"_Raffiné_. _Beau. Trés_ _beau_." Blumiere said sarcastically. Timpani laughed nervously. "Shall we get on with it?" At the instant he finished this, he began to receive missed blows, thanks to his dodging skills. Blumiere pushed Timpani aside, keeping her safe from the fight. She crossed her arms.

"And that was for…?" Timpani said.

"Just go, Timpani, it's too—" Blumiere was jabbed rather hard in the shoulder, and he stumbled backwards slightly. He winced. "Urgh. Dangerous."

"I'll show yeh dangerous, yeh good-fer-nothin' lunatic count!!" O'Chunks cried, lifting his fist back for a punch. Blumiere snapped his eyes shut, bracing for a very hard and painful impact, but when he looked up cautiously, he saw that Timpani had shoved O'Chunks out of the way into a wall. O'Chunks fell dazed and failed to collect himself, eventually falling to the ground.

"Hmph, I'll show you how you act around Count Blumiere Fidéle!" Timpani smirked.

"Alas, I thank you once more for saving my life," Blumiere bowed. "You're more powerful than you look, I must say." Timpani curtseyed. He looked over at the stunned Scottish thug, and decided that escaping at that moment was the only chance of survival. "Timpani, come on, we have to go before he gets up."

As Timpani and Blumiere headed for another door, she stopped and looked back. "Blumiere, something occurred to me; where exactly are the Chaotic Pure Hearts…?"

Blumiere groaned. "Wait, wait, wait. Don't tell me; Dimentio didn't even drop a hint to where they were, did he?" Blumiere guessed sarcastically, crossing his arms. Timpani remained silent. "Taking that as a 'yes'. Shoot, so where are we going to find them?"

"With his minions…?" Timpani asked. Blumiere thought for a while.

"Dangit. So we're up a creek without a paddle. _Fantastique._" Blumiere glanced back over at O'Chunks and frowned. He was almost sure, with the luck they were having, that their enemy was holding the first Chaotic Pure Heart. "Urrrgh! It just can never be easy for us! NEVER!"

"How'll we get it from him?" Timpani asked. O'Chunks still remained on the floor. "Will we have to manually get it from him?"

"How else?" Blumiere urged. Timpani frowned.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Timpani snapped her eyes shut, fiddling with her dress. "I don't want to steal anything, but…"

"Stealing from a minion who wants to kill you is way different from stealing from an innocent girl!!" Blumiere pulled Timpani to O'Chunks's side, and they both knelt down. "_Relâcher, amour, c'est bien._" Timpani sighed.

"Okay, then, where would it be?" Timpani asked.

"Give me the first Pure Heart," Blumiere said. Timpani did as she was told, but she was cautious. Blumiere took it with no hesitation. "If my guess is right, the Pure Heart will lose its vibrancy and color if in the presence of a Chaotic Pure Heart…"

"So it should fade if it's near," Timpani said. Blumiere nodded, and they waited for a few seconds. The red Pure Heart began to dim ever so slowly into a dark burgundy as the two watched in amazement.

"That means O'Chunks has the Chaotic Pure Heart," Blumiere gave the Pure Heart back to Timpani, who took it. "Goody. We just have to find it…"

"We should be alright, I mean, he is unconscious after all," Timpani reached for O'Chunks's pocket.

"Careful, Timpani, I don't know if he's really—"

Timpani's hand was suddenly grabbed by O'Chunks, now fully awake, and was thrown across the room. O'Chunks got to his feet and charged for Blumiere, who jumped into the air and hovered midair. Timpani sat up, shaking her head, trying to regain herself.

"Ha! Did yeh really think that yeh knocked teh chunks outta teh O'Chunks?!" O'Chunks laughed. "Yeh can't knock meh out so easily!!"

"Okay, the first part of that sounded really weird," Blumiere remarked. O'Chunks growled.

"Let's just get to fightin', yeh loon!" O'Chunks pounced on Blumiere, sending them both crashing down, but the instant before they hit the ground, Blumiere flipped over so that he was on top and O'Chunks's back was to the ground. They impacted, rather, O'Chunks impacted, and Blumiere leaped to Timpani's side.

"You alright?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded. "Good."

"What about the Chaotic Pure Heart?"

"That, I'm afraid, we're going to have to fight even harder for."


	33. XXXIII

_-Walks in cautiously- So far, so good...-spotlight on me!- DANG!! _

_I am soooo sorry. Late update. Very late. I've had such a dang chaotic Thursday, and to make matters worse, I got a very bad 42 percent on my math test. Shoot. There goes my B+! Ah well; I corrected it and turned it in, so I hope I raised my grade. That, and my parents didn't kill me about it. YESH!_

_I really don't have an explanation for a late update, just really busy in my school life, and it's hard to get to the computer. Thanksgiving break is coming up on the...27th, I think? Ah well. I dunno, but it's somewhere where I have a five day weekend. Assuming I don't have this story done by then, I will be posting, like, EVERYDAY in there. XD Woot!!_

_I sat at the computer doing this for two hours. I hope you like it, because I'm EXHAUSTED. I think I've listened to just about every song in my iTunes. And I want cookie dough. That's really strange...-shot- _

_I wish ya all a wonderful November! WOO! A new month!_

_Enjoy, sillies!_

* * *

**33**

Timpani glanced over and shrieked, seeing O'Chunks charging after them both, but Blumiere grabbed Timpani and jumped out of the way, landing across the room safely. Blumiere set Timpani back on her feet.

"Urrgh! Yeh dumb light-footed…!" O'Chunks growled, turning around and coming after them. Timpani grabbed Blumiere's cape.

"Blumiere, the Chaotic Pure Heart! Where is it? Where do you think it is?" Timpani asked. Blumiere sighed.

"Oh, I don't know! What do I look like, a scanner?" Blumiere answered. Timpani frowned, but Blumiere took a deep breath. "Let's just hit as hard as we can until it falls out…?"

Timpani forced a smile. "Good idea…?" But she was suddenly knocked away from the side of her husband, and she hit the floor. "Ow! Blumiere!"

"I didn't do that, Timpani," Blumiere said, looking over at O'Chunks, who was now stopped in his tracks. "What…"

"Oh, come on! Did you think I'd let you take all the glory, O'Chunks?!" A high, squeaky voice scolded. "MIMIMIMIMIMIMI!! You dummy!" Timpani looked up and saw a large green spider, knowing it was Mimi. Blumiere slapped his forehead.

"Of course, it always has to be double challenges, doesn't it?" Blumiere growled. He heard O'Chunks's loud footsteps approaching him, and he jumped into the air. "Take your pick, Timpani!!"

"Mimi'll do just fine…?" Timpani replied.

Feeling a evil smirk fade in on his face, Blumiere nodded. "That's good to hear; I think one-on-one fights are wonderful, but once I get one with the same gender and ALMOST the same skill—" Blumiere landed and hit O'Chunks hard right in the stomach with his staff, causing the Scottish minion to stagger backwards. "—it's even better."

"Grr! If you're not going to fight, then I'll start first!" Mimi shouted at Timpani, who backed up. Mimi was suddenly hit across the room, and Blumiere came in front of Timpani where Mimi was standing.

"I hope you know what you're doing, because I have a full plate over here!" Blumiere was jerked backwards by his opponent, but he yanked his cape out of O'Chunks's hands. "Watch the cape, you idiot!"

Timpani smiled and ran over to Mimi, not fully sure of a plan, but the only thing that came to mind was to weaken her legs and get her on the ground and to be paralyzed for at least a while. But she needed something to weaken her legs, though. Something hard, or sharp would do nicely. The Lady looked up at the ceiling and a plan seemed to hit her in the face. There was a chandelier hanging above them, and with just the right force, it could be collapsed onto Mimi.

"Blumiere, strike that chandelier!" Timpani commanded. Blumiere winced at the thought of damaging it, but did as he was told. He cast a ray of bright light onto the chandelier, and it swung for a while, but dropped onto Mimi. A cloud of dust filled the air. "Perfect! Thanks!!"

Blumiere coughed and waved his hand in the air to try to get the air circulating at least a little bit. "What—cough—ever you—coughcough—say!!"

The dust cleared, and everything in the room, including O'Chunks, seemed to freeze in place. Timpani walked slowly toward where the chandelier landed to see what harm it had done. Blumiere and O'Chunks watched in suspense, not daring to say a word.

"I think…she's…" Timpani whispered. But suddenly, out of nowhere, Timpani was pitched into the black wall behind her. Shocked, overwhelmed, yet fully conscious and awake, Timpani looked up at the Mimi who was standing before her.

Out from his daze and ready to fight with pride and honor of his master, O'Chunks threw a fist at Blumiere, who grabbed it and hurled him over onto his back. Blumiere glanced over at Timpani, but as soon as he did that, he was knocked over and landed on his stomach.

"Yeh think yer so special with yer lil' tricky tricks!!" O'Chunks taunted. Blumiere got up, tired of fighting, but not physically exhausted one bit. He scowled.

"At least I know proper grammar," Blumiere scoffed. O'Chunks growled and tried to punch his adversary, but Blumiere simply ducked and slipped under O'Chunks's arm.

Straightening his white hat, Blumiere mocked in the best Count Bleck voice he could, "Loosing your charm, dear O'Chunks? You should take a minion-time out while Count Bleck sends Dimentio to get the Hero eliminated for good." Blumiere quoted from a few months back. But O'Chunks didn't seem to be angry anymore; he almost seemed submissive to Blumiere.

"Er, aye, meh count. But I don't want to finish that thousand page essay for wee Nastasia, aye?" O'Chunks bowed. Blumiere froze, completely dumbfounded.

"…What?"

"Meh apologies to yeh, Count Bleck, I should've taken that no-good lil' man out with one blow…I underestimated him is all!" O'Chunks admitted. Blumiere could only stare at the minion.

"What the heck are you talking—" Blumiere suddenly realized what was happening; his quotes he said before had snapped O'Chunks into a whole different mode, just like the Hammer Bro. back in the other room. He used this to his advantage once more, though, and continued after clearing his throat.

"Bleh heh heh. Excellent, O'Chunks, Count Bleck will be sure to get you started on something else soon, just as soon as Dimentio returns with news. Ahh…but for now, have you heard news of Count Bleck's charming little Timpani?" Blumiere mimicked his demented Bleck voice quite well, and was lucky enough to remember to refer to himself in the third person.

"Aye, meh count; Timpani has been spotted in teh castle!" O'Chunks answered. Blumiere grinned like Bleck as best as he could.

"This pleases Count Bleck. How about one of those Chaotic Pure Hearts?" Blumiere asked hesitantly. The minion pulled out a black and red heart, and Blumiere smirked, knowing he had hit the best prize of all. Trying not to lose his tone of voice or sound, he carried on. "Bleh heh heh heh. Wonderful; Count Bleck wishes to hold it in his possession, O'Chunks. Hand it over."

And O'Chunks did with no hesitation whatsoever. Blumiere took it, eyes widening with success, but closed them to regain composure.

"Ahem. Stand your post, minion." Blumiere commanded. O'Chunks stood up straight, saluting Blumiere. The count was about to walk to Timpani, but realized he forgot something as he felt O'Chunks's eyes following him. "Bleh heh heh heh…BLECK!!"

Blumiere coughed after that, and as he heard the door close, he sighed. "I need to really work on that laugh." Blumiere swallowed.

Timpani, on the other hand, was desperately trying to come up with some sort of plan to get herself out of the tough situation. But she decided to get underneath Mimi, because as far as she knew, Mimi couldn't harm her there, so she slid under the green spider and waited for a plan to come to her. Timpani paused after a few seconds; there was something wrong…

"Timpani, SNAP OUT OF IT!!" Blumiere suddenly cried out. Timpani looked over, but by the time she turned her head, she was flat on her back, Blumiere on top of her, panting. "You never think these things through, do you? Mimi's most powerful spot is actually beneath her…"

Timpani looked at Mimi, now a rubee sitting right where Timpani was.

She sighed, blushing. "I was…testing your reflexes. Nice save," Timpani complemented as they both got to their feet. Blumiere smiled and turned to the spider.

"That'll be enough, Mimi, Count Bleck will not need your doings anymore," Blumiere said. Timpani watched Mimi stand down in amazement. "But Count Bleck does thank you for finding his darling love, Timpani. Change back into your human self before Count Bleck **rips your legs off.**"

Timpani felt hot, and she couldn't tell if she was fearing Blumiere's threat or enjoying it. He always added humorous comments to any serious situation that scared Timpani, and she liked it, but this comment was hard to tell if it was just a plain threat or humor.

The spider turned back into the small girl, who was looking up at Blumiere with an innocent face. She was blushing, though, which made both Timpani and Blumiere confused.

"Y-yes, count." Mimi smiled gently, warming up to Blumiere. "I really like your cape, by the way."

"Count Bleck does not need your theatrics, Mimi, do not waste—"

"I got you something, count," Mimi dug through her pockets and held out a black and orange heart. "Something called a Chaotic Pure Heart, but when I saw it, I thought of you…"

Blumiere took it, looking at the grinning Mimi, deeply confused at what message she was sending her. Usually, Mimi didn't act this way, but nevertheless, he had to go along with it, because resisting or asking questions would shorten his time.

"Count Bleck thanks you, Mimi. Deeply thanks you. Very. Now stand guard here, for Count Bleck must be on his way," Blumiere bowed, opening the exit door and ushering Timpani through.

"Alright, count! I'll stay and wait!" Mimi laughed. Blumiere forced a smile and ran through the door, slamming it on his way out.

"That was weird," Timpani remarked.

"Mimi acting strange?"

"No, you imitating Count Bleck. That was almost scary," Timpani giggled. Blumiere smirked.

"Yes, Count Bleck is certainly a strange character," Blumiere agreed. "Do I play him well?"

"Depends what part you're playing; fake or real,"

"True. Very true." Blumiere said. He noticed stained glass windows on the black walls and had a feeling of satisfaction run through. "We're near the chapel; so close to where we were, and that's not too far from the main hall. We're getting there, _amour_, we're getting there."


	34. XXXIV

_Ha HA!! I updated! Within reasonable time, too! XD _

_LOL, PEOPLE. YOU CAN TELL HOW DANG IDIOTIC AND SPAZZY I AM. I THOUGHT I UPDATED YESTERDAY, BUT REALLY, I SUBMITTED A DOCUMENT BUT DIDN'T PUT THAT DOCUMENT IN MY STORY. __**WOW. **__I'm okay now, though. X-x;_

_This chapter, I feel like, is more fast-paced than I wanted it to be, but ah well. It's here, and so we should be happy:) It has action in it, unexpected turns and twists, so yeah. Is it one of THE most important chapters? Not really, but still. It shows how much the power of Dimentio's minions can dish out._

_Expect delays this week. I might not even post this week, either; there's a play I'm in that runs Thursday-Saturday, and I'll be cramming things in at rehearsal, and school work will be on top of me. So the good news is, the story will last longer than expected, there WILL be more than 35 chapters like I thought, and I'm already thinking of prequels and sequels! WOOT! _

_**Please visit Dimention's story, "Suffixes"!! It's getting good, and has Timpani, Blumiere, Dimentio, and all the Heroes we love!! READ AND REVIEW IT NOW OR SUFFER!**_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**34**

The two walked hand-in-hand until about the halfway point in the hallway silently, both thinking about different things; one thinking about how to stop the mad jester from obliterating all worlds, and one thinking of how to get out in one piece safely with each other still together. Blumiere suddenly stopped and stood his ground as Timpani tried to keep going. Timpani turned around and looked at her husband, uncertain why he came to a halt.

"Blumiere, what's wrong?" Timpani asked. "Why'd you stop?"

"I feel like…no, never mind," Blumiere stammered. "Just keep going."

"If you're sure…" Timpani said, walking forward again. Blumiere didn't follow; he felt odd, and had a sudden instinct to strike Timpani, and that instinct kept getting stronger and stronger until he didn't feel like he was in control anymore.

His thoughts began to change from destroying Dimentio to obeying Dimentio, and from protecting Timpani to hurting her. Blumiere couldn't think straight at all, and as he resisted a little, the control over himself was jerked out of him. Even talking was hard for him; the words were there, ready to be spoken, but nothing could come out.

Timpani turned around and looked at her husband. "Are you okay, Blumiere? You really don't seem right. Do you need a rest? You did a lot of fighting back there, and all…" She went up to him and held his hand.

Suddenly, Blumiere found himself talking. "Get away, you stupid girl, or I'll eradicate you along with your horrible worlds." Blumiere jerked his hand back from Timpani's grasp.

"Blumiere…! Wh-what are you talking about?" Timpani backed up, frightened by whatever was wrong with the count. Blumiere scowled and aimed his staff at Timpani.

"I said, get away," Blumiere growled. "But I'm happy to kill you if you give me the opportunity." He suddenly charged for her, and knocked her into the wall beside them, and he smirked as Timpani fell to the floor.

"Ugh…" Timpani trailed off, closing her eyes as pain and fright filled her senses. "Blumiere…what's wrong with you…? It's me, Timpani, don't you remember?"

"Who cares for a thing like you?" Blumiere raised his staff in the air to hit Timpani, but she grabbed his staff right before it hit her, preventing any impact or movement.

"Blumiere, STOP!" Timpani struggled to keep the staff from hitting her; Blumiere's power was too strong for her to overcome. "You don't want to hurt me! You don't! You really, really don't!!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, Blumiere, stop!" A mocking voice imitated Timpani's plea. Mr. L and Mr. M jumped from the ceiling and landed in front of the two.

"You two are…alive?!" Timpani exclaimed.

"Yeah, just barely, thanks to you!" Mr. L remarked. "But hey, I'll let it slide since you're a girl. And I'll let it slide because you're about to die pretty soon!" Mr. M nodded.

"What did you do to Blumiere??" Timpani demanded, still failing to prevent Blumiere's attack.

"Invisible Floro-sprout! Ain't it a great invention? Mr. M and I made it one day." Mr. L proudly laughed. Mr. M looked at him, confused. Timpani looked back up at Blumiere, who had a completely ambitious face on, almost an intimidating one. As Blumiere and Timpani made eye-contact, Blumiere only shouted out with anger and pushed harder, sending Timpani sliding across the floor a ways.

"Blumiere, no, stop it!" Timpani got up to her feet. "You're not really doing this! Get it through your head! Where's the Blumiere I married?! That Blumiere wouldn't hurt or try to hurt me!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Blumiere grabbed Timpani's arm and held her against the wall. "Stop talking so much and fight! Or at least stop talking and let me take you to the king!!" Timpani was about to say something, but Mr. L interrupted her.

"You see, it's impenetrable! You can't stop its action at all until I command the sprout to stop working!" Mr. L smirked. "You're not talking to Blumiere anymore; you're talking to Count Bleck, in a non-third-person personality!"

Timpani looked at Blumiere, now fully scared and yearning for her loving husband to come back and eyes full of tears. It seemed like she couldn't snap Blumiere out of it, but something was telling her to try giving him memories back.

"Blumiere, please, I'm begging you, remember who you were before this," Timpani pleaded. "Remember all the French you spoke to me, all the promises you gave me, all the love you showed me…"

Blumiere loosened his grip on Timpani, starting to remember the things Timpani was describing.

"Mmm...wha..." Blumiere shook his head and tightened his grip on Timpani again. "N-NO! Stop talking, you _negligeable fille!"_ Mr. L and Mr. M gasped at the scene. She smiled, knowing it was working.

"NO! What the heck are you doing?! STOP!!" Mr. L commanded. Timpani ignored Mr. L and kept at pressing Blumiere.

"You see?! You're speaking French! You do that all the time!!" Timpani smirked.

"...French...no, no!! I don't speak French! I only serve King Dimentio, and only that!" Blumiere interrupted himself. Timpani struggled to get out of Blumiere's grasp, which only made him more agitated and held her against the wall harder.

"Okay, wait, keep doing that!" Mr. L cheered. Mr. M nodded. Timpani shook her head.

"No, DON'T KEEP DOING THAT!!" Timpani disagreed. Blumiere growled.

"Will everyone just be quiet before--"

"Don't you remember our wedding day? You were so happy when we exchanged vows!" Timpani snapped her eyes shut, thinking of more things to throw out. Blumiere frowned, letting go of Timpani fully, his own control gaining back into him.

"No, no, no! Hey, Blumiere! QUIT IT!!" Mr. L shouted. "OBEY DIMENTIO! HAIL DIMENTIO!! Oh, come on!!" Blumiere put his hand to his head, eyes closed.

"It's so...confusing...I don't know..."

"Think of France, think of our nice house back home, think of peace, think of voids, think of your father, your mother, your grandmother you never met, your grandfather you knew for only three years of your life!" Timpani urged. "Think of me! Think of all the hugs you provided, all the kisses you awarded me!"

Blumiere sighed, feeling almost full power over himself again.

"Urk...so...c-confusing..._tellement flou_...!" Blumiere stammered. Timpani frowned, taking his hands in hers.

"For goodness sake, give me a kiss NOW!" Timpani stood on her tip-toes. She leaned up against Blumiere, lips touching his, and Blumiere, fully realizing what he was doing and could control himself again, stroked Timpani's hair, recognizing his love. They pulled apart, Timpani panting from yelling and kissing so much.

Mr. L and Mr. M turned away. "DISGUSTING!!" Mr. L grimaced.

Blumiere looked over at Mr. L and Mr. M and scowled. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with my head!!" Blumiere dove for the two brothers and caught them in a headlock. Timpani walked over to them, hands out.

"Chaotic Pure Hearts please." Timpani demanded.

"H-how did you know about that?" Mr. L gasped for breath. Timpani glowered and leaned over to intimidate Mr. L.

"Save it for someone who cares!!" Timpani growled. "Hand it over, and Blumiere will let go of you idiots!" Mr. L reached into his pocket, as did Mr. M, and held out yellow and black and green and black hearts. Timpani took them both, and Blumiere let them go.

"Thanks, you two," Blumiere put his hand on Timpani's waist, and they both teleported out of the room. Mr. M looked over at Mr. L.

"I know, I know, but his headlock hurt real bad." Mr. L replied. Mr. M shrugged. "I know, but just remember what the king said, bro. We had to give them those things; it's all his plan."

Mr. M looked at Mr. L, almost concerned. Mr. L nodded.

"That Floro-sprout thing? That was a complete lie." Mr. L said. Mr. M's jaw dropped. "Yep. All in acting. The real thing was a little of Dimentio's new overshadowing power from Merlee, Merluvee, and Bestovious. I know what I'm doing, bro, now let's get to the main hall before Mimi or O'Chunks get there."


	35. XXXV

_HOLY DAVY JONES!! IT'S DONE! THE PLAY IS FREAKING DONE WITH!! WOOOOT!! _

_I nailed all my lines down perfectly, and I did have to cover up for a missed enterance, but other than that, it was WONDERFUL! Shout out to __**literaldramaqueen**__ for doing a great job, too. (She goes to my school and is friends with meh. :D) Last night, which was the final night, I got a bouquet of red carnations. I have never gotten flowers before, so I was excited! YAY!_

_PEOPLE. SERIOUSLY. SUPER MARIO GALAXY FOR ALL OF NORTH AMERICA COMES OUT TOMORROW!!__ -explodes from excitement- I have to wait for Christmas to get it, but I am still SO phsyced to get meh hands on a copy. 8D Can't wait!! _

_I've already started my Christmas list. LOL This is how weird LazloTitan can be. XD It's such a Mario-crazed list, too! Alright! _

_I've started a sort of "Story progress" thing in my profile, including the ones that haven't been published yet. ;) The Trio stories are a'comin'! Watch for those around the holidays, especially when...-sniff- __**this story ends**__...-cries, gets over it- Oh well. I've been eager to get more stories about my favorite three guys up here! _

_This story looks to be around...a possible 40 chapters total. MAYBE. I feel so bad to let you know that it's starting to end, because then my reviewers will virtually cry! TT-TT Noes! I don't want people to do that!_

_EXPECT MORE FREQUENT UPDATES NOWADAYS! WOO HOO!!_

_Sooo. Worked on this for half of Saturday, all of today. Hard work, this was, because I'm not good with Bowser's character. XD Just spoiled something, but ah well. Enjoy!_

* * *

**35**

Blumiere leaned up against a wall in the next room, trying to catch his breath.

"_Ça se passer sévère_," Blumiere panted. "That went rough." Timpani nodded and knelt down for a rest.

"How far are we from the main hall, Blumiere?" Timpani asked. Blumiere looked at the wall he was leaning against and looked up at the ceiling. The wall had several mirrors hung on it, and the ceiling had no chandeliers hanging from it. He smirked.

"Close. And when I say close, I mean, really close. We're moving along quite fast, actually," Blumiere replied. "Good news for us, bad news for Dimentio. He won't even see us coming." Timpani, feeling confident about their progress, walked over to one of the mirrors. She noticed that her reflection wasn't appearing in the mirror, and she stepped back to get a full view of it.

"This is weird; the mirrors aren't…mirrors." Timpani remarked. Blumiere turned to see what she was talking about and nodded.

"You're entirely correct. These 'mirrors' aren't really mirrors at all; simply places for Dimentio to put his clones to attack Mario and the rest of the Heroes," Blumiere explained. "It's hard to get by all the Dimentios, but the thing you need to remember is to look for the mirror that doesn't shine."

"'Doesn't shine', huh?" Timpani looked at every one of them and then at Blumiere. "Just as a question, why do we need to remember that?"

"Because—" Blumiere was suddenly interrupted by Timpani crying out, he noticed her being dragged closer to the wall, and he dove for her, grabbing onto her arm and pulling on her.

"What's happening?!" Timpani cried. Blumiere was failing, and he was starting to be brought toward the wall with his wife. He cringed.

"Hold on, Timpani!"

"TO WHAT?!" Timpani began to panic as she was pulled through the wall, but as she was going through it, Blumiere noticed that they were going through a mirror. They were both suddenly jerked in and fell on the ground, Timpani landing on Blumiere. They were in a long hallway now,

"Ow…OW…get off of me…_ s'il vout plaît_!!" Blumiere groaned. Timpani got off of him, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Blumiere!!" Timpani apologized. Blumiere nodded as he dusted himself off.

"Who pulled us in?" Blumiere asked. There was a sudden loud roar that shook the whole castle, scaring Timpani out of her wits. As the two looked up, a large Koopa stood before them. "That'd be Bowser." Timpani swallowed, but forced a smile.

"Erm…how are you, Bowser? We were actually on our way out of here, so if you don't mind—"

"Bwa ha ha ha! No way out, you idiots!" Bowser cackled as he breathed fire. Blumiere grabbed Timpani and jumped over Bowser's head to the other end of the hallway to get out of the way. Bowser simply turned around and ran toward them, but Blumiere did the same as last time and jumped over Bowser.

"We can't keep doing this; we don't have much time before Dimentio destroys all the worlds!" Blumiere scowled. Timpani began searching in her head for clues on how to defeat Bowser, but with the spikes on his shell and two horns on his head, it would take a lot to beat the King Koopa.

"There has to be something we can do to either snap him out of it or…hurt him." Timpani said. Blumiere analyzed his opponent and smirked. The only vulnerability to Bowser was his tail.

"I have a pretty good idea what we can do," Blumiere said as Bowser turned around to face the two. "All I need is a sort of diversion, and I can probably grab him by the tail, swing him around, and throw him far and hard enough to get sense back to him. That, or knock him unconscious. Either way, are you with me?"

"Sounds good to me!" Timpani agreed.

"Good. You divert him."

"Sure!" Timpani nodded. Blumiere stepped back, and she stopped. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Timpani looked up, only to see Bowser running straight at her, and she got out of the way. Blumiere leaped over Bowser, and seized him by the tail. Bowser stopped instantly, avoiding harm to his tail.

"Hey, wait a sec! You're pulling off someone else's move!" Bowser growled. "I can't remember who he is though…" Blumiere frowned.

"Yeah, what of it??"

"…Nothin', just noticing that." Bowser shrugged. He felt himself start to spin. "Hey, HOLD UP!" He pulled out a light blue and black heart. "You want this, right? King's orders to give it to ya!"

Blumiere let Bowser go and took the heart from him. "'King's orders'? You mean from Dimentio?"

"Who else? Me?!" Bowser said sarcastically. Blumiere looked at the Chaotic Pure Heart, then back at Bowser.

"Why did he tell you to give it up so quickly?" Blumiere asked. Bowser shrugged.

"For me to know and you to find out later on, Bleck!"

Blumiere cringed at the statement, and the name Bowser called him. "Don't ever—"

Timpani interrupted to prevent Blumiere bringing harm to the King Koopa. She had a plan forming in her head, and she hoped it would work, but yet, she didn't know if it would.

"Bowser," Timpani said pleasantly. "Don't you remember Peach?"

Bowser's jaw dropped. "Good gravy!! WHERE IS SHE?! Did that Mario take her away from me?! She…she's way too pretty to be out there all alone! What if something happens to her?! Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, what do I do?! I don't know where she is, and I don't know where I AM!!"

Timpani smiled; Bowser had remembered Mario's name, and that he loved Peach more than Timpani. Her plan, which was snapping him back to normal to get a third Hero, was slowly progressing into success.

"We're still trying to find Peach, Bowser. As for you, you're in Castle Dimention, formerly Castle Bleck. Do you know who he is?" Timpani pointed to Blumiere, who blinked and watched Bowser's reaction closely.

"Duh. How could you not remember who your own husband is, Tippi, or Timpani, or whatever your name is!" Bowser crossed his arms. "That's Blumiere, and he used to be Count Bleck or something. I guess. This has a really confusing plotline, you know??"

Timpani laughed in success. "PERFECT!!"

"So, Bowser, do you remember what happened to you before you became a minion of Dimentio?" Blumiere asked. Bowser's eyes widened as he scowled.

"Hey, isn't Dimentio that weird, mumbling, rambling, self-absorbed jester dude? Gosh, he's weird! Are you sayin' that I was a minion for him??" Bowser remarked. Blumiere and Timpani nodded. "UUUCK! Why did I do that for?? This Koopa is no minion of anyone!"

"But do you remember any slight detail before you were brainwashed?" Timpani asked.

"I dunno…It was really weird, because I was just about to go steal Peach like any other day, and all of the sudden, she was standing at the front door of my castle. I asked what was wrong, and she didn't say anything. There was this creepy secretary person who came walking up behind her, and there was a bright flash, and then…nothing. Then I found you, Blumiere, around that river, and I remembered someone saying things in my head. It sounded familiar, like Count Bleck talking, not that weirdo, Dimentio, and they were saying how I should destroy the count and stuff." Bowser explained.

"So then what?" Blumiere urged.

"After I left to go see what was wrong downstairs with that Koopa minion, I pressed this button thing and then there was an explosion upstairs. But when I came up, no one was there. Then you guys came looking for me, and, well, I guess ya know the rest." Bowser finished.

"That's why the room was black with soot when we went there, Blumiere," Timpani realized.

"One more question, Bowser," Blumiere smiled, leaning on his staff. "Do you want to help us beat Dimentio?"

"'Beat Dimentio'? I'LL BOWSERIZE HIM!!" Bowser laughed. "Man, I've wanted a good stompin' for so long now, heck, I'd love to help ya guys out!! That Dimentio's a creep! A creepy clown!"

"Oh, that's great, Bowser!" Timpani happily said. "Thank you so much!!"

"Yeah, but there is something else I wanna ask you," Bowser said as they stepped through the "mirror" near the end of the long hallway they were in. "We need to look for Peach, too. Is she gonna be on our team? And what about food? I'm STARVING. Hey, have you guys seen Mario yet? Or is he on Dimentio's side? How IS Peach? Have you seen her? I really need food. I'm so hungry. I dunno, brownies sound good right now. A sandwich, too. Maybe peach tart…OH, MAN! Peach! Where is she?! Oh, hey, by the way, do you know where Luigi is? He said something about…"

* * *

_Bowser talks too much, methinks. _

_...Hey, why am I down here, anyway?? I, like, NEVER am down here talking! Oh well. This would be a good time to say that a picture of LazloTitan, my smash of Lazlo from Camp Lazlo and Robin from Teen Titans, is now and has been up in my profile for a while now in that little icon space. :D I am proud of how it turned out! (I can't really draw Lazlo and Robin that well separately, but once it comes to together, I feel like I can. XDDD Go figure.)_

_BYE!! I'm off to browse the web for Mario apparel to add to my Christmas list. -shot- _


	36. XXXVI

_;) "And so I arrive, like a sudden windstorm at a kindergarten picnic!!" _

_XD WOOT WOOT! What now, eh? I've updated within a DAY. Ha! And it's a decently long one, too. :) I had no homework to do, and with the play done, I sat down and wrote all evening till teh sun set. Actually, after teh sun set. :D _

_I got 7 whopping reviews on my last one! That's the greatest amount of reviews I've gotten in this whole story. ;) Keep it up, guys, and I may just reward you with a -COUGHPLANNEDCOUGH- sequel to this story. One of my reviewers, __**Twanny Bizzle**__, actually said that this "story is the greatest". Whoa...wow. I've gotten comments a little like this before, but, geez! That makes meh feel special and fuzzy on the inside! -shot-_

_Hmm? Planned sequel? Already? Heh heh heh. It's a maybe, folks. I don't know if it's the right tone, right plot, etc., but nevertheless, if you want it...;)_

_My friends and I were sort of planning an un-written Super Paper Mario spin-off play. XD I thought __**literaldramaqueen **__would be a good Dimentio, but she didn't seem interested one bit. X-x I thought my other best friend would be a good Timpani, even though my friend has brown hair, and in this story, she has golden, but she's so sweet...But I asked them what character I should be, and they all said, "__**Blumiere!**__" I stared at em and went, "Kay, what the Davy?! Blumiere's a guy, and I'm a girl!" and they shrug and say, "So what? Take off your glasses and put a monocle on with a white cape, white suit, a white top hat, and a staff, and you'd look like Blumiere!" XD I have silly friends at school._

_So, I got no sleep last night for an unknown reason. Shoot. I was struck with insomnia and couldn't freaking get to sleep last night. Super Mario Galaxy eagerness, I suppose. Even though I have to wait till Christmas to get it. Ah well. So thus comes my inspiration for Timpani to be sleepy and exhausted. DX In which I am. I want my own Blumiere to rest my head in his hands. XD;; -shot-_

_As for the "puppet" deal, I just got finished watching Avatar: the Last Airbender on veoh, and it was talking about control and shtuff. Spoilers abound if I reveal more. MORE MIND CONTROL, YES?!_

_Urk. I want this story done, but yet I don't! AAAGH! Endings tie meh up! ...Wait. I'm not done yet. Never mind. XD;_

_Enough of me talking. I'm sleepy, and I'm ready to go to bed. Goodnight, and enjoy, sillies!_

* * *

**36**

As the newly-formed trio walked down the hall of Castle Dimention, Bowser kept talking on and on and on, switching subjects so quickly it made the count and Lady's head spin. Though the other two didn't feel it, Timpani was starting to feel exhausted, longing for a rest from all the fighting and journeying. It had been days, it occurred to Timpani, since she slept, and the blackened castle was starting to cast a dreamy trance on her.

Timpani's eyes began to droop, and Bowser's words began to sound slurred and muffled. Timpani shook her head, trying to collect herself. She had a strong feeling that she should stay awake, so she could be strong for both Bowser and Blumiere, and the worlds that depended on the three. But she was failing, and her eyes began drooping again. Timpani couldn't help herself but to let her body relax.

Blumiere didn't notice Timpani's actions yet, however; he was too preoccupied trying to resist the urge to whack Bowser on his head. But after hearing a soft moan let out from behind, Blumiere looked back and gasped. Timpani was on the floor, eyes closed, completely relaxed, and just plainly asleep.

"Hang on, Bowser." Blumiere said. Bowser rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but I ain't stopping my chat over here." Bowser continued yakking on and on about something random and pointless. Blumiere went over to her side and nudged her. She stirred and looked up tiredly. Blumiere gave a gentle smile down at her.

"_S'éveiller, sommiel-tête…_" Blumiere whispered, stroking Timpani's hair and taking her chin in his hand. She frowned and rubbed her eyes.

"Wh-wha…?"

"Wake up, sleepy-head." Blumiere smirked, finding humor in his own voice. Timpani found no humor in it this time, though, and simply rested her head in Blumiere's hand, finding comfort and warmth in his glove. Blumiere frowned.

"What's gotten into you, Timpani?" Blumiere asked. "You haven't been like this before…you feeling alright? Fever? Headache? Stomachache? Allergic to black walls, floors, and chandiliers?" Blumiere smiled at his comic, but seeing no response, he put his free hand to her forehead. "You feel fine to me. Are you just a tad drowsy? Maybe more than a tad..."

Timpani didn't answer or didn't move; her body was in a huge state of sleep, she couldn't even hear a word Blumiere was saying. Blumiere narrowed his eyes as he sat down next to her.

"_Mon sommiel pitit fille…_my sleepy little Timpani. Well, we can't move on without you, but we can't stop either, so, that leaves me only one and only choice." Blumiere concluded. He picked her up like he did at their wedding, and started to carry her. "Geez, Timpani, you're heavier than you look…Bowser, let's go, we still have a while to go before we get to the main hall…"

"Hey, and that's another thing! I mean, seriously, that party we had in Fliptown or whatever it's called; sheesh! Horrible food! YUCK!!" Bowser ranted. "You have any food around here, Blumiere?"

"No, Bowser, for the twenty-first time, I don't have any food with me." Blumiere answered in a monotone voice.

* * *

Dimentio watched the three walk the halls of Castle Dimention in a crystal orb and smirked. He enjoyed seeing the fate and suffering of his victims and took happiness of taking the time to watch it. He folded his hands delicately and imperiously as he witnessed Timpani fall into a deep sleep.

"Mmm. Wonderful." Dimentio muttered while watching Merluvee's crystal ball. Nastasia, doing some paper work and organizing in a planner, looked up from her busy job.

"What's so wonderful, sir?"

"Why, Timpani's asleep, Nastasia! And Timpani is in no ordinary bedtime-sleep, she's in a sort of trance-sleep!" Dimentio laughed. Seeing the jester turn back to the mysterious sphere, Nastasia went back to work, knowing that Dimentio wouldn't speak to Nastasia for the time being. "It gives me such joy to see such a delicate, young girl fall victim to one of my magical, toxic spells. This is getting better and better…And now, for the final touch…"

Dimentio placed his hand on the crystal orb and it began to glow a dark purple. He smiled evilly.

"Oh, Timpani Pianissimo Fidéle, dear Timpani, wake up…"

* * *

Blumiere had to shift his arms every once in a while in order to stop pain emitting throughout his shoulders. He hadn't ever carried a person bridal-style for this long, and it was hard enough listening to a King Koopa's rants about how sickening Flipside's food was.

But to the count's pleasure, he heard his young wife moan softly and felt her shift in his arms. He smiled, knowing Timpani was awakening.

"That was a short nap," Blumiere noted as he stopped moving down the hall to allow Timpani to move around a little before she got back on her feet. "Just tired?"

"Blumiere, I don't feel…umm…" Timpani trailed off. Her mind snapped off suddenly, and she couldn't think anymore. It was such a weird sensation running through her, almost like she was a puppet. She shoved Blumiere in the chest, knocking her out of his grasp, and he stumbled backwards. Bowser turned to Timpani, scowling.

"HEY! I wasn't done yet, and that's no way to treat your husband! Geez, is everyone a jerk except me??" Bowser complained. Timpani turned her head to Bowser, scowled, and ran towards the King Koopa, now possessing a ray of bright purple and yellow light. She aimed it at him and fired, but Bowser ducked.

"Timpani, where the heck did you get that power?!" Blumiere exclaimed in awe. Bowser swiped Timpani's legs off the ground, causing her to fall on the floor.

"Sorry, no offense, but you DON'T STRIKE A KING KOOPA LIKE ME AROUND WILLY-NILLY LIKE THAT!!" Bowser shouted. Timpani growled and reached for Bowser's tail, but Blumiere grabbed her waist and held his staff against her neck, preventing any movement. "Sheesh! Does everybody play Super Mario 64 in this story?!"

"Timpani…Timpani!!" Blumiere struggled a little to keep her still, but with a tighter grip came more submission. "What in the world has gotten into you?! Just because I was mind-controlled back there doesn't mean that you can pretend like you're mind-controlled, too!"

Blumiere felt more resistance from his wife, and he scowled. "_Zut_, Timpani, _qu-est-ce quil y a_?!" Blumiere cursed under his breath in French, but everyone froze as they heard distant clapping. As Bowser and Blumiere looked up, they saw the infamous jester named Dimentio cheering them on.

"Ah, bravo, bravo! Keep attempting to hurt your dear love, and definitely keep cursing in French, Blumiere, that'll make things better. Especially since she's not herself at all!" Dimentio taunted. Blumiere, not letting up on Timpani the slightest, glowered.

"What are you talking about?" Blumiere demanded.

"Ah ha ha ha! Just look into her eyes, count! Timpani isn't Timpani at all," Dimentio sneered. "Falling asleep suddenly, and then waking up and attacking you two…does that sound like something she'd do?" Dimentio did a sudden jerking movement with his hands, and Timpani did the same. Blumiere pulled back on his wife, trying to disable her from moving anymore.

"Hey, hold up a sec, you're controlling Timpani, aren't you?!" Bowser realized. Blumiere's eyes widened. Dimentio laughed.

"Why of course; who else would? She's so darn tempting, isn't she??" Dimentio jolted his arm backwards, as did Timpani into Blumiere's side, and he winced as he let the Lady leave his grip.

"Ow…" Blumiere mumbled, holding his side. Dimentio smirked.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" The jester said, raising his arms along with Timpani, preparing an attack.

* * *

_I sneaked down here when you weren't looking. :D_

_I found a nice maiden-name for Timpani: Pianissimo. You know, because it's Italian for 'very quiet', and it's used in music, and there is such a thing called timpani drums...eh, eh? -shot-_

_To answer everyone's question, yes. Blumiere cursed in French. I'm hesitant on doing that, but hey, desperate times call for desperate...words...? If you're super curious what he said, ask me in the review. XD; Byes!_


	37. XXXVII

_Ta-da! Wednsday is here, and I have an update totally ready to go! ;) _

_**literaldramaqueen**__ told me that Dimentio scared her. I guess I did my job pretty well, then. XD _

_Nothing much happening over here, other than the whole thing took me a night to write, and about a day of editing and working with details so make it stronger AND longer. _

_**Some cautions XD:**__ I do want to warn ya that my first English curse word is in here. Because of how strained Blumiere's...sort of relationship is with Dimentio, and Dimentio sees it as amusement, Blumiere starts getting very frustrated. VERY. XD Nothing big or serious. I have a cold bucket of water ready for some of you weak-hearted reviewers out there in case ya faint. -shot-_

_Ready for it?? I sure hope so..._

* * *

**37**

"Timpani, no, don't…" Blumiere backed up as energy gathered in Timpani's gloved hands. He was in shock at how slyly and mysteriously Timpani turned on both of them and was under Dimentio's control, but he couldn't help but to wonder how she is exactly being controlled.

Timpani's expression looked determined to eliminate Blumiere completely, and even though she couldn't talk, it was as if her face was shouting "never" at Blumiere. The count scowled and aimed his staff at her.

"Watch it, then, one move, and I swear, I'll cast a large void and hurt you," These words that Blumiere was speaking almost seemed like a foreign language to him; threatening Timpani was something he'd never do. Timpani didn't move, but didn't seem to let her guard down.

"Like it would matter, count, really," Dimentio teased. "Just remember that she's not controlling the strings here; I am!"

Dimentio was right about that; Timpani didn't have a will to stop what she was doing because she wasn't in control of herself. Blumiere had to admit that, but the second he saw Dimentio's arm move just the slightest, Blumiere's staff moved to aim at the jester.

"Then you watch it, Dimentio." Blumiere glowered. "I'll be sure to kill you at the second I get a chance. I have no hesitation whatsoever, believe me."

"Hey, clowny, you back off my friend here, got it??" Bowser agreed. Dimentio scowled, but shrugged it off.

"Your death," Dimentio and Timpani fired the energy, heading straight for Blumiere and Bowser, but they jumped out of the way.

"No, Timpani, don't! Fight Dimentio!!" Blumiere cried. Bowser paused.

"It ain't workin'."

"No, seriously." Blumiere said sarcastically. He gripped his staff and cast a void near Dimentio, who didn't seem surprised one bit and snapped his fingers. The void completely vanished, no trace behind. Blumiere and Bowser were shocked completely.

"Whoa, wait, how'd you do that?!" Bowser asked, exchanging looks with Blumiere. "You can't phase out voids, can ya?"

"Not with a little magic," Dimentio winked. "The holder of the Dark Prognosticus can do anything he wants with time and space, even cancel out voids!"

"_Menteur._" Blumiere mumbled. Dimentio looked over at him and frowned.

"You should know better than to talk back to your superiors!" Dimentio scolded. Blumiere's face was full of doubt, and Dimentio just sighed. "What do you mean, 'liar', anyway?"

"You can't cancel out voids, Dimentio, the prophecy, actually, any prophecies, won't let you do that." Blumiere explained. "When I was looking for Timpani, and when I heard news of her, I wanted to reverse everything, but I could not; what you've started you have to carry out until the very end."

"Ah ha ha ha ha! You forget that I'm a master of magic, and with more magic comes more power!" Dimentio laughed. "Who said anything about large voids? I was talking about small, insignificant voids like yours, dear Blumiere!"

Blumiere glowered and began to dash towards the jester, but he teleported out of the way in the nick of time. Dimentio reappeared next to Timpani.

"You can't catch me, Blumiere!" He taunted.

"That's not fair, dude!" Bowser exclaimed. "I'm a REAL king, and I know the boundaries and rules on how to fight around here!"

"Bowser's right; this fight isn't fair one bit! In terms, we have two Dimentios, one Bowser, and one me!" Blumiere agreed.

"Make it fair, then. You try to hurt me, your friend pays it!" Dimentio smirked. Blumiere gasped, thinking Dimentio was going to hurt Timpani, but instead, Dimentio cloned himself and sent the clone to overshadow Bowser, who growled and waved his arms around.

"H-hey, wait a…a…" Bowser fell to the ground, unconscious as the count watched in horror, almost not able to even look at what was happening. He hated seeing torture, and someone getting knocked unconscious was just as horrid. Blumiere looked back up at the jester after collecting himself.

"So that's how you control Timpani," Blumiere crossed his arms. "You overshadowed her with a clone of yourself…!"

"And you." Dimentio added, adding a chuckle at the end of his remark.

"But Luigi—I mean, Mr. L—said that it was an invisible Floro-sprout, though…" Blumiere recalled. Dimentio scoffed.

"Ever heard of lying, my French count?" Dimentio asked. "But the power of love stopped the dark forces of evil once again." Dimentio mocked over-dramatically in a high voice.

"_Taire, _you stupid jester," Blumiere scolded, fuming. "Let Timpani go now, or I'll be sure you regret it."

Dimentio crossed his arms, along with Timpani.

"Try me," Timpani and Dimentio said together. Blumiere frowned.

"You can control her voice, too?!"

"No duh, you idiot," Dimentio and Timpani scoffed. "By the way, I never loved you, Blumiere. Never. I just played with your heart to make you feel like you were special and important. Your dad's right; you've been duped by a human." Dimentio and Timpani cackled evilly, causing Blumiere glowered, feeling so angry that he was feeling hotter and hotter by the second.

"_Non! _That's not true at all, Dimentio; Timpani loves me dearly!" Blumiere shook his head. "Quit saying anything about our relationship!"

"How could I love such a horrible person from the Tribe of Darkness? Really, you need to think more; I only married you to humor you!" Timpani and Dimentio answered. Blumiere glared.

"AAAGH! _TU MALVEILLANT UN PEU CREUX…!! Laisser mon amour aller MAINTENANT!!_" Blumiere yelled as he ran toward Dimentio, but Dimentio was too slow and was knocked over by the count, relieving Timpani's control of voice for a moment.

Dimentio kicked Blumiere off of him and dusted off his shirt. "Don't ever try that again, Blumiere, or your little wife—"

"Shut up, just shut up!" Blumiere interrupted. "Why in the world did I feel so _damn_ desperate to hire you as my own minion?! WHY?!"

"Because you wanted to see your dear Timpani again, that's why," Dimentio winked. "Love makes people do crazy things on this planet, huh?" Blumiere noticed that he was shaking with horrible rage, and Dimentio noticed it, too.

"See? Even you're going insane again, count," Dimentio remarked. Blumiere glared at him and ran the jester into the wall.

"Insane?! I am not going insane, it's you who is!!" Blumiere argued. Dimentio shoved him off and laughed.

"Insane? Me? Ah ha ha ha. No, not me. Maybe Timpani is, though," Dimentio looked over at the girl, now on the floor. Blumiere looked over at her, growing concerned at the scene. "Or maybe she's just severely injured." Dimentio smirked. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Two? What about—"

"Bowser? Hm-hmm! I'll take him off your hands for a while," Dimentio bowed. "See you soon, count. Ciao!" He disappeared, along with Bowser, leaving Blumiere alone, feeling confused. He looked back at Timpani, who was on the floor, eyes snapped shut.

"Timpani!" Blumiere called, rushing to her side. He put his hand in hers. "Are you alright? Oh, man, what happened to you…" Timpani moved a little, wincing in pain.

"Oh…ow…" Timpani snapped her eyes shut. Blumiere cringed as he saw Timpani in pain.

"I'm so sorry, _amour_, really," Blumiere apologized. "I forgot that whatever Dimentio did, you did it, too. But I take it that you can control yourself again…"

"I…think…" Timpani answered. "…Where…where am I?"

"Do you remember Castle Dimention?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded weakly. "That's where we are."

"Still…?" Timpani frowned. "I was hoping we were at home." She smiled a little, as did Blumiere. "Did I…hurt you?"

"Not at all, not at all. Don't worry about me at all. I'll be fine, but I'm concerned about you." Blumiere brushed a golden lock of hair away from Timpani's face, smiling. "I assume you can't walk or stand on your own..."

"I don't think so,"

"I'll carry you, then." Blumiere decided. Before Timpani could protest, she found herself in Blumiere's arms, allowing her to relax as she looked up at her husband. "Hopefully, you'll feel at least decent before we have to fight Dimentio once and for all…"

"I'll try." Timpani nodded.

"I know you will."


	38. XXXVIII

_Sorry for the late update; I got a bunch of tests after Wednsday, in which, I felt like I did PRETTY good on. Better than a C, at least. XD; _

_Next week will be INTERESTING. Seriously; because of Thanksgiving, I have to go to school Monday and Tuesday, and then I have the rest of the week off, which means WRITING!! But that makes me sad to think of it, too; I have a feeling this story will indeed be 40 chapters long. That's so sad...! I don't want to let it go, but still, I'll still be writing things about Timpani and Blumiere, and definitely about the Trio. :) _

_I will spill something, though. __**During the final battle, not in this chapter, but in the entire thing, there are character deaths. One supposed, one...real. And it's an important character. VERY. DX **__That's all I'm sayin. You might find out next chapter...? Probably not, though...depends on how long it is. _

_So this chapter seems a little rough on the edges. :o Just a little. I was feeling lazy and did more of a shorter chapter, but it's still quite important, so pay attention. ;)_

_Nevertheless, ENJOY!! _

* * *

**38**

Blumiere shoved what seemed to be the millionth door open, and sighed with relief. This was not another long, annoying hallway; it was a shorter hallway with a very tall staircase. He smiled and looked down at Timpani, who returned it. She was regaining her strength ever so slowly, but she couldn't help but to feel still a little tired.

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that Dimentio's final battle will be at the top of that stair and behind a door. The bad news is, just the same." Blumiere explained, readjusting the way he was carrying Timpani. "What do you say, Timpani, should we rest a little before climbing that thing?"

She smiled thoughtfully. "Sounds good."

Blumiere set Timpani down on the floor near the stairs, and Blumiere sat beside her.

"There. It's about time we get a rest; we haven't done so in days…" Blumiere looked over at Timpani, who was growing concerned by the moment. Blumiere frowned at her worried facial expression and picked up her hand and stroked it lightly. "What's wrong?"

"…I have a lot to worry about, is all. I don't know if I'm strong enough to fight Dimentio, and I mean, what about you? What if you can't fight that well? What if either of us die? What if BOTH of us die?? What if Dimentio wins; then what? Are the worlds doomed? We only have five out of eight Chaotic Pure Hearts, so where are the other three? How can we stop Dimentio, I mean, did you see him back there? As soon as he got a hold of me, he controlled me so well, it was as if I was him in a different body! What if he does that—" Timpani was interrupted by a sudden and abrupt kiss meeting her lips, and she recognized it to be Blumiere. He pulled back and smiled.

"You worry way too much." Blumiere whispered.

"I know, but…"

"Just relax; we'll figure something out. But one thing's for sure, Dimentio's NOT going to win this. Never. I won't allow it." Blumiere smirked. Timpani relaxed a little. She knew that Blumiere knew what he was doing, so she put all her trust into him.

"What about me, though? I want to fight, but I don't think I can with how weak I am from that attack Dimentio preformed." Timpani frowned. Blumiere paused.

"What if the Pure Heart restores your energy?" Blumiere proposed. Timpani looked confused. "I mean, if you're healed by one of the Pure Hearts, and despite how tacky and cliché this sounds, we can restore it with love." Timpani nodded in agreement as she held out the first Pure Heart and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened one of her eyes.

"…Did something happen yet?" Timpani asked. Blumiere shook his head. Both waited for a little longer in silence, and still, nothing happened. Timpani sighed. "How is this supposed to work if we don't even know how to use this thing?"

Blumiere moved closer to Timpani. "I don't know, I thought it'd work. I guess you'll have to tough it out and—" Blumiere touched the Pure Heart and it glowed a brighter red than ever before. Their eyes' widened at the sight, but Timpani suddenly felt all her strength come back to her, as did Blumiere.

"W-whoa!!" Timpani stammered as the Pure Heart dimmed back to its normal red color. "What just…what just happened?"

Blumiere stood up, stretching. "We just got ready for a battle. Let's go, Timpani." Blumiere took Timpani's hand and jumped into the air and flew above the stairs. They landed before the door, and Timpani instantly felt uneasy.

"Maybe…we should…"

"What?"

"…Nothing, never mind. " Timpani shook her head. Blumiere held her shoulders and gave a warm smile.

"Don't worry about it; we'll be fine." Blumiere assured. Timpani smiled back as Blumiere opened the large black door. Both ran inside, ready for anything to come to them, but nothing occurred. Timpani looked around.

"Where is everyone?"

"Maybe they missed the memo…" Blumiere crossed his arms. The door suddenly slammed shut, and the two heard laughter from above them. Dimentio was sitting on a platform, along with Nastasia, smiling upon them in his evil, deceiving way.

"Ah ha ha ha!! Finally you've joined us!!" Dimentio greeted. "Nice to see you again, long time, no see, eh?"

"Well, I'll be! 'Tis teh ol' count and his lass!!" O'Chunks said. "I thought yeh'd never come!!"

"Oh, can it, O'Chunks, I said it first," Mimi argued.

"Yeah, whatever. WE thought they'd be around this time, anyhow. Cough it up, Mimi, you promised rubees!!" Mr. L demanded. Mr. M smiled and nodded as Mimi scowled at them. Nastasia adjusted her glasses.

"Um, so, yeah, sir, are you ready to fight these guys off?" Nastasia asked. Before the jester was able to answer, all the minions jumped off their platforms and landed on the ground in front of Timpani and Blumiere, who seemed a little intimidated by the amount of minions. However, Dimentio cleared his throat.

"Ahem," Dimentio said. "HOLD UP!!" Everyone froze in their tracks. "Thank you. But you have no need to be here, any of my minions; I'll take these two on by myself."

Nastasia, O'Chunks, Mimi, Mr. L, and Mr. M gasped. "No, you can't!!" They all said together.

"Yes, I can. Ciao!!" Dimentio put his hands in the air, and sent everyone to a separate dimension. "I'll get you all back later. Now, for the real, big, and best part of the show; the final battle!!" Dimentio jumped up and flew towards Timpani and Blumiere, who dove on the ground just in time.

"Come on, you two, don't put up so much defense for yourself!" Dimentio said. "Just try to hit me. I'll give you one free shot." He put his hands on his waist, and Blumiere took no hesitation to fly up towards him. He tried to hit the jester with his staff, but a shield came over Dimentio.

"What?! You said a free shot, _tu tricheur_!!" Blumiere scowled. Dimentio smirked.

"I did, so try again, and look hard, my silly wedded couple!" Dimentio replied. Blumiere attempted to hit him again, but the same shield appeared, and both Timpani and Blumiere could visibly see a large, black silhouette of a heart in the center. Timpani gasped.

"It's the Chaos Heart, Blumiere!!" Timpani exclaimed. Blumiere frowned as he heard the two mind-torturing words that brought back painful memories. "We can't break through it; not without the help of the Pure Hearts!!"

"Your silly Pure Hearts can't stop it; its power is separated into eight—"

"Yeah, we know!" Blumiere growled. He pulled out the first Chaotic Pure Heart and threw it down to Timpani. Dimentio started to push into Blumiere, who pushed back. "Timpani, catch it and hold it up to the first Pure Heart!"

Timpani caught it and held it up to the red Pure Heart. There was a bright flash of light, and both hearts were gone. Dimentio was suddenly pushed back without a hassle from Blumiere.

"One down, seven to go," Blumiere winced as he landed. "_Que un se batte ceci aller être, _what a fight this will be."


	39. XXXIX

_BAM!! I am here!! WOOT!!_

_The delay was--well, judging by the size of your scrollbar right there, I think you know why. 2,985 words. TOP THAT. XDD I've been working on this since I posted 38. ;) It took a long time, and tonight I just sat down and wrote it all. XD _

_I am excited! I'm so close to the ending of this story, I can taste it! AND IT TASTES GOOD!! ...Ahem. _

_**SO. **__This is the final battle. This whole chapter is. I warn you: __**CHARACTER DEATHS AT THE ENDING.**__ Two. __**Is one of them real?**__ Oh yeah. __**Is one of them not? **__Oh yeah. __**Who? **__You'll have to see for yourself. _

_This is gonna be a controversial chapter, methinks. And a cliffhanger, too? A major cliffhanger? Oh yes. Reviews pour in, then. XDDD_

_**THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. I REPEAT. THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. I REPEAT. THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. **__I keep getting reviews that act like it's the end of the story in past chapters, and I'm sitting there, going, "UHH. NOOOOO." XD We have two chapters left, but this is __**NOT the end. IT'S NOT. **_

_So, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American reviewers; eat well, sleep well, and travel safely if you're travellin'. Me? I'm staying here at the house; my family is coming to US. ;)_

_Enjoy...?_

* * *

**39**

Dimentio grunted as he hit the wall, but he pushed off it, aiming to strike Blumiere back. In mid-air, Dimentio multiplied himself by three to triple impact on the count.

"Try piercing this illusion!!" The Dimentios winked after shuffling themselves around. Blumiere, after getting out of the way and not knowing which Dimentio to hit, decided to get out another Chaotic Pure Heart. He threw it down to Timpani, who barely caught it.

"We don't have all the—" Timpani started.

"I know, I know! We'll worry about that later!" Blumiere interrupted. "Counteract them, and I can hit Dimentio easier, or at least, that's what I'm hoping!!" Timpani forced the two hearts together, and they both disappeared. The other two Dimentios vanished as well, leaving the true Dimentio there. He growled.

"Fine; if you play unfairly, then so will I!!" Dimentio disappeared. Blumiere landed on a platform after a long pause, not knowing where Dimentio disappeared off to. He looked down at Timpani, who looked back up at him and shrugged.

"What…where'd he go?" Blumiere asked. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, and he fell off the platform towards the ground.

"Blumiere!!" Timpani ran and caught her husband, struggling to carry his weight. "Are you okay? What happened?" She shook the count, who merely groaned in pain. Timpani felt a sudden impact on her back as well, and fell over.

"Urrk…" Timpani moaned. "What was that…?"

Dimentio landed on the ground before them, and another as well. "Not 'what', who, dear Timpani. Ah ha ha ha, don't be so impolite!"

Blumiere felt no pain in his back anymore, and he tried to move, but found that he could not. He scowled as he saw that Dimentio was waving his arms in the air.

"Hold up, Dimentio; how is this—"

"Fair? Oh, ah ha, it's not. Not the least bit," Dimentio smirked. "I ambushed you with one of my newer paralyzing attacks; do you like it? Wonderful Bestovious gave that to me, too."

"Bestovious?" Blumiere and Timpani said together. Dimentio nodded.

"You…how did…how could…" Timpani started. Dimentio narrowed his eyes.

"Save it for Queen Jaydes, my Lady," Dimentio mocked. Blumiere could feel some movement grow back in him and struggled to reach for his staff he dropped on the way down. He cringed as pain cut through him like a sword, but continued trying to stretch out. He didn't know why he felt hurt, but he couldn't concentrate on that now; he realized a box surrounded he and Timpani, and both were trapped. Timpani, feeling herself not able to move, snapped her eyes shut and braced herself for something horrid to happen.

"Nng…just a little more…" Blumiere whispered. "_Un petit chemins…_" The pain grew stronger, and Dimentio looked down at Blumiere, noticing that he accidentally included Blumiere's staff inside the box. He glowered.

"Grr; be gone with you, Blumiere!! I'm tired of seeing you gain courage to find a way to try to beat me at my own game!!" Dimentio exclaimed. At the same time, Blumiere grabbed his staff, and Dimentio snapped his fingers, signaling the box to explode inside.

"Blumiere, no!!" Timpani cried out as smoke filled the clear cube. Dimentio smiled evilly as he landed on the ground.

"There, there, Timpani, you'll see him sooner than you think," Dimentio started to snap his fingers, but something shoved him out of the way. Timpani looked over at where Dimentio impacted with the ground, and there stood Blumiere, smirking.

"_Tu s'appeler?_" Blumiere winked. The box around Timpani faded, and Blumiere held out a hand to help her up. Dimentio got off the floor, showing no emotion except as if he meant for it to happen. Blumiere turned to the jester, along with Timpani.

"Alright, Dimentio. Start explaining things; we want answers! Why did you kidnap all the charmers and magicians in Flipside and Flopside?" Timpani demanded. "And what of Mimi and O'Chunks? They swore their allegiance to Blumiere, and how they'd follow him no matter what, and all of a sudden, they start attacking us like we've been enemies with them since the dawn of time!!"

"Simple; I wanted power. More magic to bring down my enemies, so I could make those enemies my allies. Merlee and Merluvee helped me re-master my natural strengths, and Bestovious granted me more powers and abilities." Dimentio explained. "As for my minions, I brainwashed them all into thinking I was their master and leader. Then Nastasia took it from there after I found her on the outskirts of Flipside. You two dumped her out there like an unwanted pet!"

"How is that possible? You couldn't brainwash before this," Blumiere challenged. "That, and the minions we ran into kept saying 'hail Bleck' instead of 'hail Dimentio'."

"Leftover power from the Chaos Heart, and you, my count," Dimentio answered with no hesitation. "Since it was leftover power, some of my minions who didn't get brainwashed by Nastasia are saying to hail you instead of me. I pity that, so I decided to put them on a less-important role, almost like pawns in a chess game."

"Really, now, so where are Merlee and everyone else?" Blumiere asked.

"My own dimension. Waiting. Simply waiting for when my victory cry sounds out," Dimentio replied.

"What would that be?" Timpani asked.

"Something along the lines of 'the worlds are mine for the keeping; come forth and hail to your king'!!" Dimentio said. Timpani paused, remembering that thought for future reference. Blumiere frowned.

"And Bowser and Peach…?"

"Happily 'married' and tucked safely away in Dimension D, along with the others."

"So why did you want to destroy the worlds again?" Blumiere asked. Dimentio jumped into the air as purple and yellow energy built into his hands.

"Why, to carry out your old plans and build new ones after destruction, of course!!" Dimentio said. "Now enough with the talking; shall we continue this battle or what?!" Dimentio fired the beams of energy at the two and separated them. Blumiere tossed a Chaotic Pure Heart to Timpani.

"_Nombre trois_," Blumiere said as he followed Dimentio to the upper level of the main hall. "Take it and destroy it before this gets any worse; we have to stop this stupid thing from happening any further. It's gone on far too long!!"

Timpani nodded and placed the third Chaotic Pure Heart next to the Pure Heart, and both vanished. As they left her hands, she couldn't help but to wonder where they were going…a hyperspace? A void of nothingness?

"Timpani, look out!!"

Timpani looked up, but a Dimentio clone had already knocked her aside before she could even say a word. She landed on her side, and after catching her breath, she gazed upon the clone. Timpani knew she couldn't fight well, and she knew that no one could even hit a clone of Dimentio; it was an illusion, a fantasy. She stood up and could only pray that Blumiere had the time to throw down the fourth Chaotic Pure Heart to her.

However, luck was not on their side in this battle; Blumiere was being held against the wall with two Dimentio copies, and the real jester had masses of energy in his hands, ready to fire.

"Try destroying the Chaos Heart now!" Dimentio laughed as he shot the energy into rays at the count, but the jester was suddenly thrown backwards. He scowled as he looked up; there was a white light coming from Blumiere, and both knew what happened.

"_Not that hard to do this…" Timpani then kicked Dimentio off of her, and began to run up the stairs to help Blumiere, but Dimentio grabbed her arm and threw her back. Blumiere set the heart on the ground, and attempted to stab it with the end of his staff, but he was thrown back from the energy surrounding it._

The Chaotic Pure Hearts that Blumiere had with him were protecting him from Dimentio's magic attack. Blumiere was invincible to his magic, but not to anything physical. As the jester began to soar at Blumiere at an alarmingly fast speed, Blumiere snapped his eyes shut and teleported out of the situation, leaving Dimentio's clones behind. Dimentio stopped in time before he hit the black wall.

Blumiere appeared by Timpani's side, safe as could be. "You alright, Timpani?"

"Depends on what you mean by alright; I've been whacked all over the place by this stupid clone!" Timpani answered. Blumiere reached into Timpani's pocket and came up with a Pure Heart. He counteracted the fourth Chaotic Pure Heart and the Dimentio clone vanished.

"Perfect." Timpani smiled. Blumiere did the same.

"Half way through, I presume…" Blumiere trailed off. "This is tough; at this rate, this'll take forever. And doesn't Dimentio have the last Pure Heart and five other Chaotic Pure Hearts?"

Timpani's eyes widened in fear. "Really…?! That's—"

She was interrupted by a large earthquake that shook the whole room, and in a large gust of wind, Timpani and Blumiere's traction went haywire as they were sucked toward a large void that had just appeared.

"I bid you a farewell, you two, for you don't run this show!!" Dimentio cackled evilly. Timpani clung to Blumiere as he desperately tried to find a way to prevent from dying in a void. Timpani looked up and pointed at a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Blumiere, hit that chandelier and it could crash down on Dimentio, just like when we were fighting Mimi!!" Timpani cried. Blumiere smirked.

"As you wish!" Blumiere cast a void on the chandelier, causing its rod to break and it fell down near Dimentio, who got out of the way. Timpani drew out the fifth light blue Pure Heart, as did Blumiere with a Chaotic Pure Heart.

"_Dernier un_," Blumiere said as the two hearts disappeared, along with the void Dimentio cast. "At least in order. We have the eighth one, but not the sixth or seventh." Timpani looked up at him.

"Where are the other ones?"

"I assume with Dimentio…" Blumiere trailed off. "I don't think he'll give them to us at this point."

Timpani smiled. "I think I have an idea," Timpani said. "The Pure Hearts counteract when they're in contact with the Chaotic Pure Hearts. All we have to do is at least throw them at Dimentio, or something. Then everything will be happily ever after, right?"

"Makes sense to me. So you want close to Dimentio?" Blumiere asked. Timpani nodded. "Alright. _Accrocher á!_" Blumiere held onto Timpani's waist and jumped into the air. Dimentio smirked.

"So nice of you to be courageous and actually fight me!" Dimentio said as Timpani scowled as she landed on a platform alongside her husband. Timpani gathered the two Pure Hearts she had and threw them towards Dimentio.

"A…surrender?" Dimentio stuttered as he caught them. "You're—what's this?!" In a bright flash, Dimentio felt the Chaos Heart's power weaken greatly. He growled.

"You shouldn't have been so arrogant, Dimentio, or you'd seen right through Timpani's little trick," Blumiere winked. Dimentio scoffed.

"Enough of this foolishness; this battle should've ended long ago and I would've been victorious!" Dimentio copied himself into about fifteen others, and all flew toward the couple, separating them.

"Urrgh! Which one's the real Dimentio??" Timpani cried. Blumiere threw his staff into the air, and everything came to a screeching halt except Timpani and he. Timpani looked over at her husband, confused.

"W-what did you just do?" Timpani asked. Blumiere caught his staff and adjusted his white hat.

"Stopped time. Don't you remember when you were fighting with Mario? I used that attack quite a lot." Blumiere winked. Timpani laughed a little.

"Would've been best to know you could do that in the beginning…" Timpani said. Blumiere withdrew the final Chaotic Pure Heart from his cape and held it up in the air.

"Now to find where the real Dimentio is…" Blumiere muttered. Timpani frowned.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Timpani asked. "There are a lot of these dumb copies; how can we find the right one?"

"How about just practicing our throwing skills?" Blumiere suggested. He threw it across the room at one of the Dimentios in the back, and it vanished. Timpani laughed with tremendous joy as Blumiere lowered the spell and time went back to normal again. The Dimentio copies faded away, leaving a very outraged Dimentio behind.

"_Facile. Trop facile._" Blumiere dusted his hands, smirking evilly.

"No—no way!!" Dimentio growled. "How is this possible? You counteracted the Chaos Heart in an easy blow!"

The Chaos Heart was thrust out of Dimentio's possession and it faded into blackness. Dimentio landed on the ground, a smirk filing his face.

"Ah ha ha…No matter, though…I don't need a heart to defeat you two; I still have my magic!" Dimentio raised his arms in the air, ready to attack the married couple. Blumiere grasped his staff.

"I don't think so, Dimentio; not today, at least!!" Blumiere aimed his staff at Dimentio and cast a vast, large void. Dimentio's eyes widened, and he looked behind him as he was sucked in, but an idea formed in his head. Or a scheme, rather; and all it needed was for him to grab Timpani's arm on the way in.

And that, he did. Dimentio, in one quick swipe, grabbed Timpani's arm as he was being forced inside the void.

"Eeek!! Dimentio, let me go!" Timpani cried. Blumiere reached for Timpani's hand, but Dimentio jerked the Lady backwards just as they started to make contact.

"_Non! _Timpani!!" Blumiere shouted.

"Ah ha ha ha!! The worlds are mine for the keeping; come forth and hail to your king!!" Dimentio recited. Timpani's eyes widened as she knew that his minions would be transported to the very room they were in, and she yelped out.

"Blumiere! Blumiere! Be careful; Dimentio's minions!!" Timpani called. Blumiere was too busy searching for a way to save Timpani from Dimentio's grasp in the void before him without collapsing it.

"I don't care about them; I want to keep you safe, Timpani!!" Blumiere shook his head. At that moment, Mimi, O'Chunks, Mr. L, Mr. M, Bowser, Peach, Nastasia, Merlee, Merluvee, and Bestovious appeared close to Blumiere's side, but were starting to be dragged in, and soon were inside the void along with Timpani and Dimentio.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!! Your only hope is to collapse this void, along with your darling wife!!" Dimentio smirked. "And judging by its size, it's big enough to kill!"

Blumiere's face filled with fear and confusion; there had to be another way to get Timpani out of there first!

"Don't worry about me; you have to crash this void before anymore worlds are destroyed!" Timpani snapped her eyes shut, feely a little queasy from the spinning of the void.

"No, I won't; there has to be some other way!"

"I'm begging you, Blumiere, just forget about my safety before all the worlds and dimensions die!!"

"**You're** my world, Timpani!!" Blumiere refused.

"I promise I'll be okay!"

"No, you won't!! You're too important to lose again; I can't live without you!!"

Dimentio rolled his eyes.

"I'm sick of this tragic love plotline; I'll have to do this myself!!" Dimentio waved his finger in the air, and shot a ray of magic at Blumiere and knocked him down, along with his staff, collapsing the void completely.

"No, TIMPANI!!" Blumiere cried, feeling tears form in his eyes. He dared not to look up; all the memories of he and Timpani together were flashing so quickly in his mind, and they started to fade away…

Blumiere looked up as he heard Dimentio's groans. He scowled through his despair.

"FINALLY!! You deserve to die, Dimentio!! YOU DO!!" Blumiere shouted. "Separating us was a mistake, but being alive was the biggest mistake you could've ever made!!"

"How…do you…know that? You haven't even looked at her yet…" Dimentio stammered, feeling his grip on consciousness loosen dramatically. Blumiere frowned. "Ah ha ha…This isn't over, Blumiere…and you know it…I'll be back sooner than you think……Ciao…!!" Dimentio disappeared before he collapsed.

Blumiere raced to Timpani's side. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing heavily. Blumiere couldn't fight back the tears from falling; he knew she was in pain, and it was his fault. He cast the void, and he could've done something to save her. He let Dimentio hit him…if only he got out of the way…

"Urrgh…" Timpani stirred. Blumiere gasped as he saw her eyes open slightly. He hugged her and held her tightly.

"Oh, Timpani, _mon amour, je suis tellement triste…Je desirer je pouvoir avoir épargné tu…_" Blumiere closed his eyes. He suddenly felt a hand touch his face, and he looked up at Timpani, who was smiling weakly.

"Blumiere…no…stop talking…it's alright. It's…it's not your fault…it's Dimentio's. You couldn't…stop it." Timpani stammered. The words that she was saying didn't seem like they were coming from Timpani at all; she sounded weak and faint, and it wasn't the Timpani Blumiere recognized. He shook with fear and longing for her to stay with him.

"_Non, non, rester avec moi. Rester avec moi!!_" Blumiere began to revert back into the French his father taught him when he was young; all the English words were fading in his mind, and he couldn't think straight.

"Blumiere, please…I want you to know…since I won't have much time…to live…I'll be happier now when…my game ends, because…I know that we were married and filled…our vows. We were able to love each other like we wanted to, and…" Timpani trailed off, trying to force a smile now that tears were in her eyes, too, "…and I want you to know, I still…I still love you…"

"_Même, _Timpani. _Jet'adore. Trés beaucoup._" Blumiere nodded. Timpani's eyes felt heavy, and so she closed them. In a soft sigh, Timpani fell limp in Blumiere's arms, and his heart sank lower than he felt before. His face felt wet with tears, and he no longer paid attention to where he was or what he was doing, because all he could concentrate on was one horrifying thing:

Timpani Pianissimo Fidéle was dead.


	40. XL

_AAAAGH!! IT DRIVES ME TO TEARS, IT DOES!! NOOOO!! THE LAST REAL CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE!! _

_Really, though, I can't thank you all enough for all the kindness, the support, the reviews, the adds, the faves, the watches, EVERYTHING. Not to mention the threats, too, but I won't go into that. _

_**The following deserve the best luck in writing and their lives for making this story possible:**_

_**Dimention, literaldramaqueen, Pink Shadow Princess, carlo707, Twanny Bizzle, Animefangirl11, Wikitiki99, Flowerstar, Twilight Being92, LordBlumiere, The Great Chicken Miasima, and all the reviewers I might've forgotten. XD;; **_

_But I thank you all for your support! I hope I see you again in my sequel to this story, my Trio stories, and everything in between!! -starts to cry- DAVY-CURSED SOFTY-FEELINGS!! _

_(There is an epilogue to this, yes. It'll be posted as soon as this is done. It's short, but it's important. READ IT NOW OR SUFFER!! XD I love you all so much; it just pains me to know that I'm done with the story that got me noticed! Mixed emotions. Dang.)_

_**I THANK YOU ALL. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID THIS?? 7? 8? 9? 10,000,000,001? PROBABLY. I'LL LEAVE BEFORE I CREEP MORE PEOPLE OUT. **_

_**THANKS AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN!!**_

_**Love, **_

_**LazloTitan36. 8D**_

* * *

**40**

"_Of course, Blumiere, I'll always be with you."_

That quote, **her** quote, ran through Blumiere's head over and over again as he held his deceased wife in his arms. He couldn't believe that Timpani was dead; it was impossible. Love was always supposed to overcome everything, wasn't it? Why would she be dead? It wasn't her time yet, after all.

"Oh, Timpani, what I wouldn't give to kiss you one last time…" Blumiere sobbed. "Why…why did you have to leave me? Just as we got married…just as we began to fall into deeper love, we had to be split apart once more…"

Of course, Timpani did not respond, and it bothered Blumiere; he was used to having her say something back. At this point, anything would suffice. He needed her to say something, anything, to give him assurance that love would always be present in his life.

"And such a horrible tragedy that I couldn't stop…it befell on you, and it's all my fault…" Blumiere snapped his eyes shut. "Timpani…Timpani…" He held her closer to his chest, feeling so alone and isolated, even though there were so many others in the room, trying to recover from what had happened.

But through all his despair, and through Timpani's cold body up against his warmth, he felt her get warmer, as if life started coming back to her. He opened his eyes and looked at her and saw that she was glowing softly.

"Timpani, what…" Blumiere started, but in a flash, all the Pure Hearts appeared in front of them both. He blinked, not believing what he saw. "The Pure Hearts…were destroyed, though, weren't they?"

In another bright flash, the Pure Hearts were gone, and it left Blumiere confused as everyone began to stir in the room. Nastasia, O'Chunks, Mimi, Peach, Bowser, Merlee, Merluvee, and Bestovious sat up, and Mr. M and Mr. L changed back into Mario and Luigi.

"Ohhh…" Mimi rubbed her head. "Ow…what happened?"

"'Ey, now, I don't feel like that mean ol' O'Chunks no more!" O'Chunks exclaimed.

"Hey, hold it! I can actually remember what happened to me clearly!! And what I ate for lunch a few days ago!!" Bowser cheered. Luigi and Mario looked at each other.

"Yeah!" Luigi smiled. "These are the same overalls that bro and I always wear!! And our masks are off! That thing was starting to make me sweat…" Mario nodded.

"Dimentio's control over us must've worn off," Nastasia guessed. "Is he gone? For good?"

Blumiere didn't look over, but nodded.

"Oh, dear, it's—" Peach started as she noticed how silent Blumiere was.

"Timpani. It's too late for her; she's gone …" Blumiere trailed off.

"No, my boy, don't be so coy!" Merlee shook her head. "The hearts of pure can do everything to the dead; even cure! Wait and see your wife stand with sight; the Pure Hearts have given the last of their might." Blumiere paused, waiting for something to happen, but after a few seconds of nothing occurring, he closed his eyes, and rested his head against hers.

"Well, I'm sure she'll come back soon." Bestovious cleared his throat. "She has to; Merlee is right about how the Pure Hearts can bring anyone back from the dead…"

"Not this time; my love for her actually killed her," Blumiere sighed.

"That's preposterous! You and Timpani are the best couple I know; how could your love kill her?" Peach asked. Blumiere shook his head. "You didn't kill her; you love her too much to do that, even if it was an accident."

"I let it happen,"

"But there was nothing you could do, was there?" Peach asked. But then, he suddenly heard something. Blumiere gasped. "Blumiere?"

"Shh," Blumiere waved his hand to signal to be quiet. He could hear a faint pulse, and as it grew stronger, he could hear a small groan. Blumiere opened his eyes to see Timpani stirring, and he felt more joy than he had ever had in this whole journey.

"…Blumiere…?" Timpani moaned. She looked around, rubbing her eyes as she saw all her past allies and friends surrounding her. "I-I'm alive?"

Blumiere's eyes filled with tears of happiness, but he wiped them away. "Yes, Timpani. You are."

"How?" Timpani felt her normal strength in herself again, and she felt confused.

"I don't care anymore, and neither should you," Blumiere replied. "C'mere, you!" He grabbed Timpani and embraced her tighter than ever.

"Blumiere…! You're crushing…me!!" Timpani laughed. Blumiere laughed, too, as he loosened his grip on her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Bowser suddenly called. Timpani and Blumiere looked over. "What the heck is happening??"

The two noticed that the ground was shaking heavily; like a tremor of some kind, only harder. Timpani ducked into Blumiere's cape, Nastasia clung to O'Chunks's arm by reflexes, and Peach accidentally ran into Bowser, who grinned and blushed. Mario glared at Bowser, and as soon as he turned, Bowser stuck his tongue out at the red-capped hero.

"Wh-whoa! Are the worlds ending or something??" Luigi exclaimed. "Did we not make it??"

"No, Dimentio was smart enough to not destroy the dimension Castle Bleck is in!" Blumiere replied, grabbing hold of Timpani. "But everything should be reversed; the damage that's been done should have been returned to normal by now!!"

"Aagh!" Peach cried as a bright light filled the room.

"Hang on!!" Luigi yelped.

"To what?!"

"Err…yourselves!!"

* * *

"…ni……impani………Timpani!!" A voice called. Timpani felt warm hands on her shoulders, shaking her a little bit, and her eyes fluttered open. The sky was a light tan, and seven doors bordered where she was, and her mind rejoiced because she knew where she was; Flipside Tower. The damage was reversed; the town looked like it once was before the void destroyed everything.

Timpani looked down off the white tower and saw bustling citizens hugging and running around to greet their loved ones as if it was a holiday. She smiled down on them; their safety, their lives, everything that was once in she and Blumiere's hands were now in their own. They had succeeded in saving everyone.

She turned to see Blumiere and everyone else watching her, and she smiled back at them.

"Flipside looks better," Timpani stated. Blumiere stood up and looked around the tower.

"Yep, seems that way," Blumiere nodded. Bowser held his hungry stomach tightly.

"GEEZ, what's a guy gotta do to get some food around here?" Bowser asked. "Man, I'm outta here. I'm gonna get back to my castle and get food instead of this Flipside crud." Bowser began to walk to the elevator.

Mario and Luigi took their caps off.

"Can we escort you home, Princess?" Luigi asked. Peach smiled.

"Well, of course!" Peach answered. The threesome walked to the elevator behind Bowser. Merluvee, Merlee, and Bestovious looked at each other.

"Ahh. It was nice to see everyone again, but I'm ready to go home. I can barely remember how I got here in the first place...I need a nap..." Bestovious said. The magician and charmer nodded eagerly. "I'll see you all soon! Goodbye!!" He went through the first red door and it shut behind him.

"What a journey this came to be, but I'm also ready to devote time to me," Merlee agreed. "Goodbye, my sweet, again we shall meet!!" Merlee began to make her journey back to Flopside, leaving Merluvee to run back to her home on two levels below.

"So, everything's back to normal, huh?" Mimi asked turning to her friends.

"Aye, lass. I'm startin' ta think that we should live with Nassy over in Flopside, eh?" O'Chunks turned to Nastasia, who smiled and blushed a little. She adjusted her glasses.

"Well, I suppose I can fit you two in…" Nastasia started. Mimi tackled her with a big hug as they started walking.

"Awesome! We can talk about boys and stuff!"

"'Ey, there, Mimi! I'm a boy, yeh know!!" O'Chunks protested. Mimi stopped and turned around.

"Uh, see you around, count!" Mimi curtseyed and winked at Blumiere, who merely blinked. After blushing heavily, she ran back to the other two. "WAIT UP!!"

Blumiere looked at Timpani and exchanged looks. They ended up laughing, both thinking the same thing. There laughter faded as they realized that they were the only two left behind. Blumiere cleared his throat.

"So…where is Merlon?" Timpani asked, taking out the red warp pipe the wizard gave to her. "I better give him this before we head homeward."

"I'm here, I'm here!!" Merlon was running toward the two. Panting, he took the pipe from the Lady. "I got here just in time to say goodbye to you both, and to say thank you, as well, for saving the world…twice in a row."

"It was—well, I would say it wasn't any trouble, but seeing as how many times we were split up and nearly killed…" Blumiere forced a smile as he hugged Timpani. "But we were happy to help. Who else would?" Merlon smiled.

"You were certainly the best Heroes I've ever seen before during this whole thing, even more than Mario himself," Merlon said. "And despite all you went through, I hope it didn't strain your bonds with one another."

Blumiere looked at Timpani, and both smiled. "No, I don't think so. Thankfully not."

"That's good to hear." Merlon nodded. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you here any longer. You should go home to your—"

"No kids, Merlon." Blumiere interrupted, smiling and blushing. "We've decided that already."

Merlon laughed. "Oh ho, of course! Well, I do encourage you two to still go home; you deserve a nice rest."

"Thanks, Merlon." Timpani curtseyed.

"Do you need help getting back to your dimension?"

Timpani looked at Blumiere, who looked back down at her kindly. "No, I think we're set." Timpani replied. She went up to Merlon and gave him a hug, who was taken aback from it. "Thanks for everything, Merlon. Really. We appreciated it a lot."

"Well, it was my pleasure to help you out. Do take care, Timpani." Merlon replied. Blumiere walked up to his wife.

"You take care, too, Merlon. Flipside wouldn't be where it is without you!" Blumiere complimented. Timpani locked her hand in his. Merlon sighed.

"Thank you, Blumiere. Farewell, you two!! Have a safe journey home!" Merlon said as Blumiere lifted his staff to teleport them both, but Merlon realized something important. "Wait! I forgot something!!"

"What is it?" Timpani asked. Merlon held out a package wrapped in white paper, and Timpani took it.

"Keep it level, and don't open it until you get home!" Merlon winked. Timpani nodded.

"Thanks, Merlon!!" Timpani said.

"Goodbye!" Merlon waved.

"_Au revior, monsieur _Merlon!" Blumiere smiled. Timpani and Blumiere vanished then, out of thin air, leaving no trace behind. Merlon smiled pleasantly, knowing that Blumiere and Timpani were finally happy together, after all those obstacles that they had to overcome.

Merlon looked up at the sky and smiled as he saw no void.

"You two really did it; and I couldn't thank you enough."

**The End**

_**Le Fin**_


	41. Epilogue

**April 9**

Timpani sighed as the soft breeze blew through her short blond hair. It was relaxing to her; everything was at peace, and it was about time, too. The battle, the fights, the villains, everything; that whole journey was exhausting to her, and finally it had ended a few months ago. It seemed like such a short time ago, though.

But now she was at home, and the only thing missing was Blumiere. He said he'd be right out, and it had been a long time since he had said that. Maybe it was just her mind, though. A time without Blumiere seemed so long, even if it was five minutes.

She felt someone tap her shoulder, and she turned around to see Blumiere standing above her, holding something behind his back.

"_Joyeux anniversaire, _Timpani," Blumiere smiled as he sat next to her. He kissed her on the lips. "Happy Anniversary." Timpani blushed after Blumiere let go.

"Our first, too! It's amazing to think that we wouldn't be here if we disobeyed our parent's rules." Timpani smirked. "What's behind your back? Something for me or is it something you're going to scare me with?"

Blumiere chuckled. "No, no, I found it tucked away in the closet, and remembered that we hadn't opened it." Blumiere showed a box to Timpani, and she recognized the box from anywhere; it was the package that Merlon gave them on Flipside tower before they left. It was a gift of some kind, she knew that, but she had totally forgotten about it up until now.

"I remember that thing! Did you open it already?" Timpani asked.

"Nope. I saved it for us to open it…_ensemble._" Blumiere winked. He set it down between he and Timpani, and they both pulled on the bow that held the package together. Blumiere tore off the paper, only to find a brown box. Timpani lifted its lid.

"It's a note…" Timpani said. Blumiere picked up the paper and read it aloud.

"'To the two young, newly-wed Heroes: I had no hesitation by giving this to you. Take care of it. Both of you have gone through rough times, together and separate, and consider this as a gift to renew the promises you have exchanged, and to remind you of me.

For some reason, I feel like you're going to need this in the future. I don't know why, but call it instinct. Do be careful with it, though. I'll leave it to you to take care of it with pride and hope in your hearts.

I hope to see you again, sometime soon. Be safe, be sure to love each other, and I hope you have a wonderful life together. Sincerely, Merlon. P.S.—Sorry that I don't have wedding cake in here; I didn't know how long it'd be sitting in here. Take care!'." Blumiere and Timpani smiled as Blumiere finished.

"But what was 'this' that he was talking about?" Timpani asked. Blumiere dug through tissue paper to find something wrapped even further.

"He took time to waste trees, that's for sure." Blumiere laughed. Timpani moved closer to Blumiere and looked at the mysterious item wrapped in dark blue paper. Blumiere carefully unwrapped the paper from the gift, and both gasped;

It was a white book with a star in the center.

"The Light Prognosticus!" Both exclaimed.


End file.
